The Philadelphia 76ers have been looking for some kind of bench spark recently as they have not been able to get it done when the bench unit comes into the game. They played a role in Philadelphia not being able to come away with a win as they fell to the Toronto Raptors on the road 110-103.
One big change that coach Doc Rivers did make was that he turned to rookie Isaiah Joe over Furkan Korkmaz in the rotation. The fourth-year guard from Turkey has not been able to get into a groove lately and his struggles on the defensive end forced Rivers to turn to Joe in this one.
Joe had three points and two rebounds in 12 minutes and he was able to step up on the defensive end. The Sixers need a guy who can knock down open looks and also be able to give other things on the floor so, at the moment, he will get a look in the team’s rotation.
“He’s playing well,” said Rivers. “I thought defensively, he was absolutely fantastic, and that’s what we need. This is not football, you gotta be a basketball player, and you play both ways offense and defense. I thought he did that to me.”
Time will tell if this will be a permanent move. Korkmaz will certainly be given a chance to earn his spot back, but Joe will get the minutes moving forward.
“Just a look,” Rivers finished. “Everybody earns their minutes. It’s always a fair competition. Right now, we’re going with Isaiah.”
The Sixers will face the Raptors in Tampa again on Tuesday to finish the two-game road series.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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