SR – NBA Bubble Breakdowns: #11 Philadelphia 76ers

As we are now only 12 days away from the resumption of the NBA season we look at the Philadelphia 76ers in this bubble breakdown. Another team in the middle of the pack in the eastern conference that has definitely benefitted from this time off because they now return to full strength. With Ben Simmons having time to have healed his back injury and the rest of the squad getting some rest to heal up some nagging injuries the 76ers now are treading as a dark horse in the Eastern Conference. They have a healthy combo of the All-Star Talents of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons and some of there rotational players that have underperformed for much of this year started to come on right before the season’s suspension and look to build upon that in Orland1

The most notable news coming from Sixers Coach Brett Brown over the past week is that in a new starting lineup for the Sixers, Ben Simmons will start at the power forward position not point guard. This change comes from a combination of factors. Simmonds hasn’t played in a game for the sixers since February 22nd. He missed the following 8 games after he suffered the back injury on the 22nd against The Milwaukee Bucks. When Simmons was out for the following 8 games he was replaced at the point guard position by G Shake Milton. In the 8 game stretch, Milton averaged 17 points per game when playing more meaningful minutes and even posted a high of 39 points in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on March first. Milton’s contributions meant so much in that 8 game span because it finally showed Philly had what they had been missing all year … efficient shooting in the backcourt.

Philadelphia’s Season in Review (39-26, 6th in the East)

This sixers team gets a lot of slack for underperforming this year but I feel like people are quick to forget just how much this team actually lost from a season ago. Losing Jimmy Butler and JJ Reddick was a huge blow for this team. This year’s Sixers guards although somewhat capable have shown just how valuable the contributions of Reddick and Butlers shooting really was. They haven’t been the same team because they haven’t gotten the same production from the positions that made this team successful a year ago. On top of that, they didn’t just lose two guys they also lost guys like TJ McConnell, James Ennis, and Amir Johnson. Although not the caliber of a Jimmy butler per se those guys still had an impact of the teams winning from the previous season. They certainly have more talent in the frontcourt adding Al Horford for a hefty price. Horford has been solid for the sixers this year averaging 12 points and 7 rebounds a game while being moved in and out of the starting lineup all year as well. The thing that is difficult for Horford is that he is a traditional pick and roll big that usually gets his numbers from running a two-man game with a guard who can shoot so it opens him up either rolling to the post or on the perimeter. He has not been able to get into that type of offensive rhythm that he had been able to previously because he hasn’t been able to find chemistry with a point guard on this roster capable of getting him the ball in scoring position. Because some of the injuries this team has endured have forced hin into the starting lineup more often than anticipated it has been another adjustment for the Sixers to get used to starting two traditional bigs in Horford and Embiid. The Horford and Embiid experiment hasn’t worked all too well for this team, they just seem to take up each other’s space and make it easier for the opposing team to key in on either one of them down on the post. They are both skill guys and like to operate in a lot of the same areas. Embiid is able to create his shot off the dribble but Horford needs more of a setup and to get the ball in the flow of the offense. The problem is that if both of them are occupying space in the post on it makes it hard to have any type of continuity on offense.

You can point to various places that this team needs to improve statistically whether it is shooting or on Defense but what the real problem for the Sixers has been lineups. They haven’t been able to find a consistent lineup that has success all year. Injuries play a huge factor in this of course but for a team as talented as this Sixers team, Bret Brown has to be able to find a way to get a consistent lineup that can compete with the best in the East. This interesting movie to put Ben Simmons at the power forward in the return in Orlando got my attention for two reasons. First, it made me question why this team would wait until now to make this change. I understand that this team could be potentially fighting for the 4 seed in the east so there is some desperation but shouldn’t they just try to build upon what they were doing this year now that they are finally healthy? Second, it made me realize Bret Brown hasn’t had much confidence in any of the lineups he’s thrown out there for the sixers this year so why not make a big change to try and sparks something. For his sake, I hope he is right because I believe if this change doesn’t work in the Sixers favor Bret Brown will be faced with a lot of criticism.

Looking into the Bubble:

The Sixers need their leading scorers in Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Tobias Harris to really get it going in the bubble. The addition of Milton in the starting lineup should give Emiid tons of space to work with and also gives him another shooter to kick it to from the post. Simmons, who you assume will still look to attack in transition even at the power forward, has to be aggressive in doing so. Simmons will also need to show his playmaking ability even more so in the halfcourt as hell have to especially come playoffs. Tobias Harris who is averaging about 20 points per game this year is another player that will benefit from not playing with such a big lineup. Tobias who is able to be a pick and pop guy both off the dribble and setting screens now has more room to work with but can go back to playing his natural position and score rather than playing the position this team needed him to be. The most compelling thing to me about this team as they look to beat out Indiana for the 5 seed and potentially steal the 4 is that they can really defend. This team’s real advantage could be on the defensive end now that they are finally healthy. Guys like Matisse Thybulle, Josh Richardson, and Glen Robinson III are all capable defenders. Known for their athleticism and skill these are the type of guys the Sixers are going to need to be able to count on if they think that the new starting lineup is going to work. Whatever way the guards fall into rotation in Orlando they will have to get production scoring off the bench for sure but if they can at least establish that their new identity is defensive rather than offensive than i do believe this team could be the dark horse in the eastern conference.

For an even more in-depth at the Sixers in Orlando Check Out Sixer Gaurd Matisse Thybulle’s VLOG on Youtube. I’ve been following each episode and think he gives amazing insights into the way things work in the NBA Bubble.