In handing the Philadelphia 76ers their 19th loss of the season, the Phoenix Suns only expected to come out with a plain, good win. Little did they know that they actually managed to deliver a much-needed wake-up call to cudgel their opponents into doing the most obvious thing out there in the trade market.
With the trade deadline coming in a couple of weeks, the 76ers front office just got sent a strong reminder that they have to upgrade the bench. The Suns bench badly outscored Philly’s second unit to the tune of a 58 to 28 scoring edge, which was basically what won Phoenix the game. This is probably the most vivid signal that improving the bench is an imperative.
If the 76ers are dead-serious about competing for a championship this season — or at least making a deep playoff run in order to be more grounded to reality — the front office cannot leave this meager bench intact. Rotational upgrades must be put into place, lest they risk another premature exit in the playoffs or even miss it outright.
The 76ers have to trade for another bench scorer or two before the deadline
Bench scoring was been this team’s Achilles’ heel for quite some time now. This season, they have the fifth-lowest scoring bench in the league at just a hair above 30 markers a game. That is simply not a sustainable way to build a roster that aims to win something meaningful.
Part and parcel of their struggles off the bench stem from the sudden dip in the production of Quentin Grimes, who had a hot start to the campaign. Another major factor is the putrid play of sophomore guard Jared McCain, who has yet to regain his mojo after missing nearly an entire calendar year due to injuries and is currently being mothballed by the coaching staff.
As such, with their expected catalysts off the bench not playing up to par, the front office cannot simply gloss over the glaring need to send more help to the second unit. The 76ers already have one of the most lethal starting fives in the NBA when healthy, but having a weak bench only macerates their potency as a collective.
Bolstering their bench will also empower the 76ers coaching staff to spread the wealth a little bit more when it comes to minutes, which will help prevent injuries as the season spills over into its second half.
The trade market is literally teeming with options right now to help this woeful 76ers bench. It’s high time for the front office to not overthink it and make a move to improve the second unit before they no longer can.
And for that, the Suns may have just given the 76ers a badly needed wake-up call.