3. Jalen McDaniels
Jalen McDaniels has been an interesting acquisition for the Sixers. His height, length, athleticism, and energy are the biggest factors that he brings to this Sixers playoff roster. McDaniels has a couple of reasons to point to that say he needs to step up in this playoff run for his still kind of new team.
McDaniels brings an above-the-rim factor that the Sixers are severely lacking. The team’s most notable athletic player when it comes to throwing down a quality NBA man’s jam is Tobias Harris. There have been at least three missed dunks by McDaniels since joining the team after the trade deadline. McDaniels needs to tighten up that finishing around and at the rim because of how much his length and bounciness can be useful to the Sixers’ offense. Not saying it’s crucial but, having an NBA player that can get their points without having to run a play for them and through their physical attributes is always helpful and appreciated. The swingman can hang out in the dunker’s spot to catch lobs or drop off dishes to dunk the ball. A similar concept can be executed from either corner 3 spot if the pass doesn’t find him then he can crash the boards for a putback.
McDaniels was having a breakout type of season for a guy coming off the bench in Charlotte. In the 56 games played for the Hornets this season, McDaniels averaged 10.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.8 fouls on .447/.322/.846 shooting splits in 26.7 minutes per game. Since coming to the Sixers, McDaniels has played in 18 games while averaging 5.7 points, and 3 rebounds which includes almost one offensive board (0.8), and 2.3 fouls on .487/.294/.786 shooting splits in 15.7 minutes per game.
The biggest concerns with McDaniels are the facts that he may not be able to make people pay for not respecting his three-point shot and if he can disrupt one of the opposing team’s best offensive players without getting into individual foul trouble as well as wasting team fouls. On the bright side, McDaniels helps the Sixers feast on defense against other opposing bench units with the five-man lineup of Maxey, Shake Milton, McDaniels, Georges Niang, and Paul Reed as they have posted an 86.6 defensive rating in 31 minutes played spanning over eight games. Small sample size but, that’s all this lineup will get in the playoffs more often than not.
The Philadelphia 76ers have certain issues that need to be mitigated to go as far as possible in the playoffs. This trio of James Harden, De’Anthony Melton, and Jalen McDaniels all have to step up more than others due to the skill sets that they have and bring to the Sixers. The combination of ball-handling, shot-creation, three-point shooting, on-ball defense, and athleticism are all very much needed to make a playoff push. That’s why these three perimeter players have to step up for Philly.