![]() If the top-end guys live up to their end of the bargain, they could have a monster year. I feel good about Philadelphia's depth heading into the year, and there could be a win-now move in the future to improve that in the future. or Georges Niang, for example - but most of the guys who will see the floor can do at least some creating in a pinch. There are levels of competency within that group - De'Anthony Melton has more wiggle than Danuel House Jr. Sixers score drivers#It's a low bar to be clear, but the Sixers have guys who are competent straight-line drivers who can score if the opening is there or at least recycle a possession if nothing is available. That's exciting, as far as preseason stuff goes. We don't quite know what the second unit is going to look like or how Rivers will stagger his stars, but their depth players seem to be playing the same regardless of who they're on the floor with, which suggests they might have the start of a cohesive identity. Broadly speaking, I think Philadelphia's backup units have looked decent on the offensive end of the floor, attacking decisively and moving the basketball wherever and whenever necessary.Harrell and Paul Reed bring completely different skill sets to the rotation, and at least so far, it hasn't appeared that we can nail down one guy and call him the clear backup to Embiid. Watching him scream in jubilation after a putback in the second half of a preseason game shows who the guy is, and there is no off switch.Īdding Harrell to the roster has created the same good "problem" at center that the Sixers have at other spots in the rotation right now. Teams have to account for him in transition, when he'll beat your big down the floor and seal off a smaller defender if the big doesn't keep up, and he's a handful in the halfcourt, where he remains a great pick-and-roll partner and a pest on the glass. I suppose it's hard to play with a guy like Montrezl Harrell and not feel like you need to raise the intensity level.įor whatever Harrell's weaknesses are on the defensive end, and there are multiple problems there, he throws his weight around in the paint frequently and effectively. If effort was an issue for Embiid and a lot of the starters, that did not carry over to most of the bench guys.We'll see what the offense looks like when the regular season begins, but it has felt like Philadelphia has struck a good balance with the big man so far, using him as both a static and moving target depending on the possession. Not plays that I think Embiid will be especially happy about/proud of.) (It must be noted for the sake of fairness and accuracy: Plumlee got the better of Embiid on a couple of occasions early in the second half, blocking Mr. Eytan Shander: Is pressure at an all-time high for Eagles, Phillies and Sixers?.Buena Onda tacos, Cheetos 'n' Waffle tenders among new food options at Sixers, Flyers games.Instant observations: Tyrese Maxey stars again as Sixers move to 3-0 in preseason.And unlike in his first appearance of the preseason, went about his business efficiently, scoring 15 first-half points without exerting much energy. Controversial opinion: the guy who forced Plumlee to take three fouls in the first quarter looks pretty good.Įven moving at half speed - or 75 percent speed, if we really want to be generous - Embiid effectively imposed his will on this game, creating deep post position or shooting over the top of guys who had no real chance to contest his shots. I'm not sure how much we can actually learn from Joel Embiid torturing guys like Mason Plumlee and Nick Richards, but since we haven't seen much of him in the preseason, you do want to get a handle on where the big man is at heading into the season.The Sixers looked like a team that would have been rather watching playoff baseball, but they still managed to pull away for a 99-94 win to close out an undefeated preseason. ![]()
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