Sixers report cards: Frontcourt reserves
He just rocks. Georges Niang is the perfect offensive reserve for this team: a metric ton of spot-up 3s, quick and selfless decision-making, and enough spunk to make up for the reserved nature of Philly’s cornerstone players. His defense remains problematic in certain matchups, but Niang looks tangibly better on that end of the floor.
We’ve seen signs of life from Danuel House Jr. lately, which is promising. He’s still the exact type of 3-and-D wing Philadelphia was missing last season. House can also beat closeouts, put pressure on the rim, and make some creative passing reads. He’s not the simple standstill shooter many believed him to be. That said, consistency (or inconsistency) is a major roadblock right now.
Paul Reed is officially — officially — out the mud. Doc Rivers has finally embraced Reed as the full-time option behind Embiid. It certainly feels that way at least. Reed is one of the top defensive playmakers in the NBA, a bubbling ball of chaos who is slowly but surely learning how to channel his energy more productively. The foul trouble is less prominent than last season and he’s starting to understand his role, both offensively and defensively.
The Montrezl Harrell Experience has been pretty rough and tumble, perhaps made worse by the glaring superiority of Paul Reed (and Doc Rivers’ stubborn reluctance to hand the reigns over to Reed early in the season). Harrell stepped up admirably when Embiid went down, but he’s no longer the scoring monster who once won Sixth Man of the Year under Rivers in LA.
In seven career NBA minutes, Julian Champagnie is 0-of-2 from the field with one steal to his name.