NFL
By: Mark Wilson
The Philadelphia 76ers are not a team destined for the NBA Finals. Hell, at the rate they’re going, the 76ers seemed destined for a Lottery Pick more than anything else. Sitting at 1-4 this early in the season is a slap in the face to all believers. While there is still time to turn things around, they must begin to do so fast and do it right now. And it all starts with Doc Rivers and the production of the 2nd unit.
Joel Embiid is still an MVP-caliber player. James Harden is in top form, Tyrese Maxey is a star in the making, and Tobias Harris is looking for his role. But the bench, well, that’s a different story. In the 5 games the 76ers have played this season, their top reserve scorer is De’Anthony Melton with 7.4 points per game. Not too bad but they need more.
The holdover reserves have yet to prove their worth either. Georges Niang is averaging 5.4 points, Shake Milton and Furkan Korkmaz have only played 1 game and the other new guys such as Montrezl Harrell and Daniel House Jr have yet to show why they were brought to Philly.
As a unit, the Philadelphia 76ers are getting 17.6 points per game from their bench which ranks them dead last in the NBA. In order for this team to make a run, the 2nd unit must do its job. Over the years, what championship winner did not have strong bench play? What’s worse is that this was the main concern for the 76ers heading into the offseason. They wanted to improve their 2nd unit and so far, it’s been crickets.
Is Rivers The Issue For The Philadelphia 76ers?
While scoring is the obvious issue, it’s on the defensive side as well. In 5 games, the 76ers have let their opponents’ bench torch them for 130 points while the Philadelphia 76ers scored just 88. Is it Rivers and his rotations? Is he just not putting the right guys in during certain situations? There is talent on the bench but are they being used properly?
Another thing to factor in is that they’re shooting the ball on average 14 times per game. Where are the attempts? For Rivers, he likes to mix the bench with his starters and when you have players like Harden, Maxey, or Embiid in the game with the 2nd unit, they will defer to the starters instead of searching for their own games. This in turn, takes away opportunities and confidence.
If Rivers is not going to force these players to shoot, then it’s up to the teammates to hold each other accountable. The team as a whole is ranked 25th in points scored. That’s understandable when the beach is only averaging 14 points. The starters are playing over 30 minutes per. At this point, it does fall on the shoulders of Rivers. These players were brought in to help carry the load but if they’re not seeing valuable minutes on the floor, what can they do?
Championships are won with clutch shooting, defense, and bench play. Right now, the Philadelphia 76ers don’t have either. This team is too good to be where they are and too good to stay in this funk. But if Rivers can’t find the proper rotation needed for this team to reach its potential, he will be gone.
