2 players who should stay out of the Philadelphia 76ers rotation

The Philadelphia 76ers have an elite starting five after the James Harden trade. They are undefeated in five games that Harden’s in the lineup. Let’s take a look at just how great this group is.

It starts with Harden and Joel Embiid who are two MVP caliber players. Then there’s also Tyrese Maxey could be in the conversation for the Most Improved Player award, Matisse Thybulle is going to make an All-Defensive team, and don’t forget about Tobias Harris who can play at a borderline All-Star level. The amount of talent in that starting five is undeniable, but what about their bench?

The Sixers have a suspect bench going into the playoffs and there are certainly two players who had recently been the rotation who shouldn’t see any playoff minutes if everyone is healthy.

There should be two Philadelphia 76ers reserves out of the rotation for the rest of the season.

Both players have been recently removed from the rotation in the 76ers’ win against the Chicago Bulls, but both stay out as well. The first has been the Sixers’ second longest-tenured player in Furkan Korkmaz.

After a nice start to begin Philly’s season, Korkmaz has been very inconsistent. He’s averaged 8.9 points on a career-low 29.0 percent from the three-point. Even now when the Sixers need his shooting with Seth Curry traded, he’s played himself out of the rotation.

With Shake Milton looking better in his new off-ball role and having second year sharpshooter Isaiah Joe waiting as a reserve makes benching a player like Korkmaz an easy choice. I’d dare write that Charlie Brown Jr. and Jaden Springer should be higher on the depth chart at this particular moment.

Then their former All-Star Paul Millsap who looks as close to retirement as Mike Scott did for the 76ers last season. In all seriousness, Millsap might be able to contribute to a certain team in the NBA, just he can’t do it in Philly. During his stint with the 76ers, Millsap has averaged 4.0 points and 3.0 rebounds, while shooting 45.8 percent from the field.

The Sixers need a legit backup center and maybe DeAndre Jordan could be that, but it’s clear for the 76ers Millsap is athletic or big enough to fill that role. With Jordan, Paul Reed, and Charles Bassey on the roster, there’s no reason for Millsap to get minutes.

Hopefully, Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers will read this article and heed this warning. Neither one of these players should be in the rotation again this season.