With the playoff race getting heated as the league inches closer to the end of the regular season, the Philadelphia 76ers are now engaged in a relentless war of attrition between six teams duking it out for the two final guaranteed playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. Fortunately, they were able to pass their first test, winning against the Hornets and clinching the tiebreaker, which will be huge for them in the standings.
However, the 76ers have every reason to remain guarded. After all, aside from the fact that they are still in the play-in range at the moment, their fatal flaw has emerged anew in their most recent matchup –– bench scoring. Against Charlotte, Philly poured in just 21 total points from their second unit. Obviously, that cannot be the case moving forward if they want to remain formidable in the postseason.
Scoring off the bench has long been one of the biggest gripes for the 76ers. This season, they have the sixth-lowest scoring second group in the league with just 32.3 markers a night. That is clearly something that has to change for them, lest they risk becoming even more vulnerable when the playoffs begin.
The 76ers need to have a more productive bench in the playoffs
With Nick Nurse religiously sticking to his plan of starting all of his top scorers, the bench has found it difficult to consistently produce on the scoring end. However, that should not be the case at all, especially now that the 76ers have more competent bodies on their second unit.
Quentin Grimes and Kelly Oubre Jr. –– both talented individual scorers themselves –– are perfectly capable of racking up points off the bench and terrorizing opposing second units with their ability get hot quickly and terrorize opposing benches. Yet for some reason, that has not been the case for the most part.
The 76ers will have a tight rotation come playoff time –– that has simply been the MO of Nick Nurse for most of his career. However, the starters will not always sap all of the available minutes, which means that the bench guys have to be able to maintain the lead the starters have established at the very least.
Unless and until the 76ers resolve this longtime issue, they might just be slated for another "flaming out" act. Worse, it may even come when it matters the most, which will make for a regretful look-back given how much talent is contained in this roster. Hopefully, the coaching staff will also find ways to optimize this group the best way then can.