The Philadelphia 76ers have been one of the more frustrating teams in the league. They have a ton of talent led by Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid and they have solid role players surrounding them in Al Horford and Josh Richardson as well as Tobias Harris, but they have not been able to piece it together.
They have tried bringing Horford off the bench, they have tried to have the 5-time All-Star out at the 3-point line in order to help space the floor, and they have tried a few other options. However, at the moment, they are the 5 seed and they have not lived up to the expectations set out for them.
There is one person who believes this will all work out and that is Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers. The Clippers coach has grown fond of the Sixers from afar as he even compared Simmons and Embiid to Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the past and he has faith in the Horford fit in Philadelphia.
“It’s going to work out,” said Rivers on Sunday. “It’s going to be great for him. Al Horford’s an NBA player who’s a terrific player. He’s one of the low maintenance stars who’s willing to do whatever it takes. If he’s got to come off the bench, he’ll come off the bench.”
Horford did come off the bench for a few games as coach Brett Brown was trying to figure out the best way to help both him and the team as a whole, but when the injuries to Simmons and Embiid hit, he was inserted back in the starting lineup.
Horford is an All-Star talent who can do so many different things on the floor. It’s obviously getting late in the season, they’re running out of time, and Embiid being injured does not help things, but Rivers believes the playoffs will reveal some good things for them.
“It’ll work out,” Rivers added. “I really believe that, once the playoffs start, if they’re all healthy obviously if they’re all healthy, Al will fit and have a good playoff run.”
Until then, they will have to continue to work it out on the court. The team only averages 106.7 points per 100 possessions when he is on the floor together. The playoffs are a different story though, of course, so it will have to be a wait and see situation. [lawrence-related id=26822,26814,26799]