3 bench players that the Sixers need to step up in the postseason

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Philadelphia 76ers, Danny Green (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

The Philadelphia 76ers have an uphill battle going into this postseason. Teams like the Milwaukee Bucks and the Miami Heat look better on paper, while the same could be argued about the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets.

The Sixers have an MVP candidate in Joel Embiid and a former MVP in James Harden. Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris can get hot on any given night, but let’s not forget the defensive ace that Matisse Thybulle is.

That being written, the bench for the 76ers is one of the worst in the NBA. Yes, the subtraction of Andre Drummond hurts, but even before then Philly’s reserves had struggled to score and it has gotten worse. If the Sixers want playoff success they will need at least three players to step up.

More. Morey mismanaged the Sixers’ center depth chart this year. light

It should be noted that Georges Niang and DeAndre Jordan have been left this list for different reasons. Niang is pretty much the only consistent role player the 76ers coming off the bench and to expect a post-prime Jordan to be able to play better isn’t realistic at this point in his career.

3 bench players that the Sixers need to step up in the postseason: Danny Green

To be clear, Danny Green is probably been more consistent than the other two players on this list. This season, the veteran 3-and-D wing is averaging 5.7 points on 37.1 percent shooting which isn’t bad on the surface.

However, he’s recording just 21.5 minutes per game, the third-lowest of his career. Part of the reason for the decrease is because of age and he was injury-proned at the beginning of the year when he was playing more minutes. The other is that he’s lost a step defensively.

“The Sixers just need Green to take more 3-pointers whenever he is playing.”

Don’t be mistaken, Green is still a good team defender and has a high I.Q. for the game. The issue is the offensive output. Green still has the capability to be a high-volume 3-point shooter at this stage in his career, based on his percentages.

The Sixers just need Green to take more 3-pointers whenever he is playing. It’s also more than likely he will get more minutes once the playoffs begin because he is a veteran that head coach Doc Rivers can rely on so he probably will step up to the challenge.