3 lineups the Sixers should use without Joel Embiid

Lineup the Sixers should use without Joel Embiid No. 3

• Tyrese Maxey
• Furkan Korkmaz
• Danny Green
• Georges Niang 
• Paul Reed

Until Joel Embiid returns, do not be surprised if Tyrese Maxey — not James Harden — leads Philadelphia in shot attempts. Harden is still an elite floor general and set-up man, but his diminished speed has made it difficult for him to take over games for extended stretches. Maxey can beat his man off the dribble, he’s the Sixers’ best transition scorer, and he can bury 3s from every which direction.

That being said, the Sixers need to stagger Harden and Maxey. There’s no excuse to ever leave Shake Milton or Tobias Harris on an island as ball-handlers. The Sixers need one of their star guards running the show 24/7. Also, while we’re still on the theme of “winning with offense,” this might have to be a Furkan Korkmaz series. The Sixers need guys who can go out and get buckets. Korkmaz is the Sixers’ most confident shooter when he’s out there and he also proved himself capable as a secondary ball-handler in limited minutes early in the season.

The Sixers will have to go through the center rotation at some point — you could swap Reed for the backup of your choice, though it would be wise to pair Georges Niang with an ostensibly good defender. Maybe just maybe Doc Rivers finally goes to Charles Bassey, but color me skeptical of the rookie seeing his first extended run in the second round of the NBA playoffs. That said, Bassey does check a lot of boxes on paper. He can protect the rim, move his feet in space, and finish efficiently on the other end.

This lineup basically boils down to Maxey, three shooters, and your center of choice. Preferably one who can play above the rim and provide a release valve around the basket, with all due respect to Paul Millsap. I would also advise Rivers to tether Thybulle to Harden if he’s going to use Thybulle. Harden is the only star who actually gets something out of Thybulle offensively every now and then.