The Sixers have somehow managed to throw cold water on the bubbling excitement around Philadelphia sports right now. There’s no reason for long-term panic, but to begin the season 0-3 (and to achieve that record through sulking and laziness after a summer of bluster) is completely inexcusable.
It’s time for the Sixers to right the ship. Sooner than later. P.J. Tucker gave the locker room a much-needed chewing out after Saturday’s loss to the Spurs and the Sixers’ next chance to prove their mettle comes Monday night against Indiana. It’s another home game in the Wells Fargo Center, so expect an eager crowd high on Phillies euphoria and ready to condemn the slightest sign of spinelessness.
Who needs to step up for the struggling Sixers?
This is supposed to be the year Philly takes the next step toward winning the NBA title. It starts with changing the energy around the team — no backing down or fading away in the face of adversity, but instead facing it head on with authority. Let’s break down three Sixers in particular who need to step up.
For the sake of suspense (and because the Sixers have more than three players who could stand to improve), this list will not include Joel Embiid. He stunk up the joint in games one and two, but bounced back with 40 points in the loss to San Antonio and appears to be working back from his offseason bout with plantar fasciitis. We will also circle around Tobias Harris, who has been something of a mixed bag on both sides to start the season.
De’Anthony Melton has to figure out his role offensively
There are no major complaints about De’Anthony Melton‘s defense. While there’s a corner of the Sixers fandom that still yearns for the frenetic energy of Matisse Thybulle, the Sixers should be just fine without him so long as Melton spearheads the bench unit. Melton is averaging 1.3 steals per game so far and is every bit the deflections magnet we’ve come to expect.
That said, the offensive end of the floor has been much tougher sledding for the Sixers’ draft-night acquisition. Melton averaged 10.8 points per game on .404/.374/.750 splits with Memphis last season. While the efficiency has translated to Philly, the volume has not. Melton is simply not involved in the offense right now, and when he does touch the ball, it’s seldom in an advantageous position.
Coming out of the preseason there was mild concern as to whether or not Doc Rivers and the Sixers were going to properly utilize Melton. He should not be tasked with handling the ball and running the offense. He’s much more of a wing than a guard on offense, best suited to spot-up 3s and attacking downhill off the catch. It’s clear Melton just hasn’t established chemistry with Joel Embiid and James Harden yet. Those are two very unique offensive stars with highly specialized offensive tempos. Melton is not operating at their speed yet.
The Grizzlies out-ran teams last season behind the blazing transition playmaking of Ja Morant. The Sixers are much slower, more methodical in the halfcourt. One could levy that as a criticism — and the Sixers should seek to exploit Tyrese Maxey’s speed in the open court more often — but at the end of the day, Melton will have to learn to live with Embiid and Harden. They are not Ja Morant, and the offense will run differently than what he’s used to in Memphis.
It will take time, but Melton’s current average of 4.7 points per game will not hold. He’s too good a shooter and too key a player to remain so quiet.
Will the real Montrezl Harrell please show himself?
Montrezl Harrell’s defensive shortcomings are well documented and no one in the Sixers fanbase expects him to be a key contributor once the playoffs come around. But for his entire career, Harrell has feasted in the regular season — a dominant interior finisher who crashes the glass with reckless abandon. Harrell’s unfiltered energy and effort made him a true standout in the preseason and evidently won him the backup job behind Embiid. After three games, however, Doc Rivers has to be rethinking that decision.
Harrell has played a total of 23 minutes. He is -10 in those minutes, which does not do justice to just how bad the veteran has been. Granted the Celtics and Bucks are exceptionally high level opponents, but Harrell has simply been unwatchable. He’s invisible on offense and all too transparently bad on defense. His lack of size and quickness completely tanks the second unit, to the point where Philadelphia has hardly been able to stomach him for more than 2-3 minutes at a time.
So, that has to change. And fast. Harrell has the potential to be a genuinely important and productive bench player, at least in the regular season. He fits like a glove next to James Harden on offense, but that holds very little weight if he can’t get the defense in check. He should be more passable against lesser opponents, but the Sixers very quickly pivoted away from him against San Antonio too. If Harrell can’t stay on the floor against the Spurs, his odds of staying on the court in any matchup would appear slim.
If Harrell has regressed to the point of ineffectiveness, then Paul Reed should get the perpetual nod behind Embiid. If not, it’s time for Harrell’s infectious energy and appetite for chaos to shine through. He can absolutely help the Sixers’ current bench scoring woes if he can figure out how to keep it together on defense.
Can Tyrese Maxey make the leap?
On the surface, it’s hard to complain about Tyrese Maxey‘s production so far. He’s averaging 20.3 points per game on 46.8 percent shooting. His 3-point percentage his momentarily down (31.3 percent), but his volume is up and regression to the mean is all but inevitable. For the No. 3 option behind two ball-dominant superstars like Joel Embiid and James Harden, it’s hard to ask for more.
And yet, here I am asking for more. All summer we’ve been talking about the third-year leap for Maxey. He already made unfathomable strides between years one and two, but this could be the year he explodes into the national conscience. Many pegged him as the preseason favorite to win Most Improved Player.
So far, Maxey’s points are up and the shooting will presumably follow. But, has he truthfully improved, or are the Sixers simply making it an emphasis to get Maxey more involved? Probably some of both. But Maxey’s mild scoring surge has not been paired with improved playmaking or more dynamism off the dribble. He’s still mostly a play finisher. That’s fine when Embiid and Harden consume so many possessions, but it does limit the Sixers’ offensive ceiling if Maxey is still largely reliant on others to kickstart his opportunities.
The far greater issue, however — and the reason Maxey makes this particular list — is the defensive side of the ball. Philly’s defense has been a mess to open the season for a variety of reasons. Joel Embiid just wasn’t very good the first couple games, nor have James Harden and Tobias Harris been especially locked in on D. But by far the biggest weak point in the starting five right now is Maxey.
At 6-foot-2, Maxey faces the natural challenges of being a small guard in the increasingly wing-oriented NBA. But, he’s an absurd athlete who visibly added muscle over the summer. He should be able to stick at the point of attack and provide some resistance to opposing ball-handlers. The effort has always been there for Maxey, but right now he’s allowing dribble penetration far too easily. That collapses the defense around him and affords open shot after open shot to the opposition.
If Maxey wants to qualify as a true third star — if he wants to affect winning on the level of other All-Stars around the Eastern Conference — then his defense simply has to improve. There are plenty of weak defenders who make up for it with offensive firepower, but Maxey wants to separate himself from the crowd. He has to be better moving forward.