2020 NBA playoffs: Even with Ben Simmons out, Sixers’ depth is significantly better than last postseason
The Sixers were down just one to the Raptors in the second quarter of Game 7 last postseason after Tobias Harris sank his second free throw. With just 35.8 seconds left in the half, Brett Brown saw an opportunity to give Joel Embiid, who’d played all but roughly two minutes in the first half, a brief respite.
Greg Monroe entered the game and promptly fouled Kyle Lowry for an and-one. Brown yanked Monroe right back out of the game for Embiid. In all, Monroe played two minutes and was a minus-nine. Embiid, who logged 45 minutes that night, was a plus-10 in a game his team lost on a preposterous game-winner.
While the sting of losing Ben Simmons will be felt throughout the series against Boston, Brown and the Sixers will be armed with one thing they did not have last season: Depth.
Though the decision to give a then-33-year-old Al Horford a four-year deal worth up to $109 million may have been shortsighted, there is little doubt the veteran big man represents a significant upgrade over the likes of Monroe and Boban Marjanovic. In that series against Toronto, Embiid was a plus-89. Monroe and Marjanovic were a combined minus-69.
While the Embiid-Horford pairing has been a work in progress – with some promising signs in the “bubble” – Horford’s value as a backup center is apparent.
“As a backup five, you’re not going to get much better,” Brown said pregame Friday of Horford. “I think Al’s versatility defensively might be the thing that stands out the most in regards to what does he do defensively. The fact that he can switch, he can move his feet, he’s smart, he can guard a perimeter guard better than most centers – if that’s what you want to call him – in the league.”
Horford’s play in Disney World has been encouraging. Through the seven seeding games he played, Horford hit 10 of 19 from three and looked fresh. Horford admitted back in early July that he hasn’t always been where he wanted to be physically this season. A healthy Horford playing at this level and developing his partnership with Embiid would give the Sixers a big boost this postseason.
Another thing the Sixers could’ve used late in that Game 7 in Toronto was a player that can just go out and get his own bucket. Perhaps someone like Alec Burks.
Burks was acquired to give the Sixers a scoring boost off the bench. He did that in a huge way during the restart, averaging over 20 points a game in his last four contests. Burks also shot 57.1 percent from three on four attempts a game in seven games. Though that level won’t be maintained, Burks had his best three-point shooting season since 2015-16 – with way more attempts in 2019-20.
Brown has made Burks the team’s backup point guard behind Shake Milton and Burks has flourished with the ball in his hands.
“All of the good teams have somebody who does what Alec does,” Brown said postgame Friday. “We had one in Philadelphia before me in Lou Williams – Lou Williams is instant offense. And Alec has been lightning in a bottle since we’ve all come back from the break here in Orlando. And all good teams need one, and he has provided that.
“He’s also, along that path, provided a secondary ball handler – really a backup point guard, if you will. I think out of our team, there’s nobody that stands out more than he does in the role that he has embraced.”
During last year’s postseason, there was no Horford to eat up the Embiid-less minutes. There was no Burks to come off the bench and get a timely basket. There was no Matisse Thybulle to come in and disrupt the opponent’s offense. There was no Furkan Korkmaz – at least not the version we’ve seen this year – to catch fire and provide much-needed spacing.
Even with Glenn Robinson III – who has the potential to play a big role defensively against the Celtics’ multitude of options – banged up, Brown can turn to veteran Mike Scott, who was rock solid for the Sixers last postseason.
If Robinson is healthy, Scott could be on the outside looking in at the rotation. That just shows you how much depth this team has this time around.
“I do think we have more firepower,” Brown said. “If you promise Ben was healthy and we’re learning that Glenn’s situation is a little up in the air right now, I’d raise my hand probably quicker. But I think that what I’ve seen here in the bubble, and I’ve admitted, you’re probably going to see a playoff rotation of nine people, I think that we have the people that can come in and contribute differently. But I think that they can come in and contribute, as we have seen in several games here in Orlando.”
As for Monroe, he spent the last season playing in Germany for Bayern Munich and ⚡️ Грег Монро переходит в «Химки»! / @M10OSE is now part of Khimki family! pic.twitter.com/PG1kZ682gz
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