The Philadelphia 76ers have dropped their last three games in disappointing fashion. Despite having Joel Embiid back, who is playing like he never left, the team has struggled immensely against less talented or undermanned opponents. Thus, it is not surprising that they find themselves 12 games below .500 with only 30 games left on their schedule.
Following the trade deadline, many were confounded as to what the team’s strategy would look like entering the latter half of the season. They traded away three rotation players and outside of Quentin Grimes, did not really bring in any other proven rotation-caliber cogs. Yet this team is clearly trying to make the playoffs, which is apt given that they are not incentivized to just tank.
Zooming in on Grimes, the 25-year-old is reckoned to be a hell of a consolation for the 76ers after dangling Caleb Martin away. He has already suited up for a couple of games donning Philly’s colorway, turning in solid production as the nominal sixth man off the bench.
Having said that, the 76ers need more from him. But to do just that, the team needs to give him even more run moving forward.
The 76ers should completely drop Eric Gordon from the rotation to open up even more court time for Quentin Grimes
Grimes has not been lacking in court time since landing in Philly, averaging 29 minutes per ball game in his two appearances for the team so far. Yet despite this, it definitely feels like the coaching staff can give him even more run, mainly by ditching someone from the rotation entirely.
We’re looking at you, Eric Gordon.
The veteran has seen his minutes drop already, but he has still managed to sniff the court consistently. Nick Nurse continues to give him some run in hopes of bolstering the team’s three-point attack, but so fast, that has been as inconsistent as it can be.
With Gordon providing very little elsewhere, the coaching staff has to seriously consider eradicating his minutes outright. While that would force the team to play heavy minutes for their top six to seven guys, desperate times call for desperate measures. If they want to qualify for the playoffs, they will need to play their best cogs as much as possible.
In addition, there is literally nothing that Gordon provides which Grimes cannot. And even if the former’s minutes are not entirely funneled to Grimes, the 76ers can use those to add to, say, Justin Edwards’ court time.
Eric Gordon has been just as fine relatively speaking thanks to his meager contract, but his time has come. It’s about time that the Philadelphia 76ers completely move on from what he can offer and shift to Quentin Grimes.