Why the Celtics are the 76ers’ biggest obstacle in the postseason

Bench comparison between the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics

A championship contender team ought to have a deep squad and the Celtics have assembled a perfectly balanced bench to their starting 5. The Celtics have a nearly capable replacement for their starters available on the bench, whereas the Philly team needs more depth on the front court. Fans expected a potent backup for Joel Embiid, but the front office still needs to deliver the same.

Boston on the other hand had some low-key but effective additions to the team. New member Malcolm Brogdon fit in seamlessly in the team and leads the race for the sixth man of the season. Last season’s surprise addition Derrick White is also performing at a high level and even won the Eastern Conference player of the week award, surpassing many megastars.

Philadelphia 76ers do not have such liberty on the roster. Tyrese Maxey is the only high-performing bench player for the team, and the team has no dependable next options to impact the game. More so, the Celtics are stacked with paint-dominant players to disrupt Joel’s offensive rhythm.

Boston Celtics bench has a net rating of 1.3 in the league, while the Philadelphia 76ers merely manage to stay in “+” with 0.2 net rating production from the bench. This performance is considered when the Celtics are without full strength bench – as Mike Muscala, Robert Williams, and Danilo Gallinari had very limited availability.