The Philadelphia 76ers have one of the strongest starting units in the NBA as they get strong contributions from Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Danny Green, Tobias Harris, and of course, Joel Embiid.
However, while the starting unit as a whole is strong, there is always what some would call a “weak link”.
As the 2021-22 season continues to approach rather quickly, the good people over at Bleacher Report went through each team’s starting lineup to find that sort of link and they identified Green as Philadelphia’s weak link.
B/R on their reasoning for Green and they have a potential replacement for him as well:
Winning follows Danny Green no matter where he goes. That should keep the 34-year-old as the Philadelphia 76ers’ starting small forward for now.
Seth Curry isn’t the defender that Green is, but he was sixth overall in three-point shooting (45.0 percent) last season. That was the third straight year (and fourth in five) that he’s hit at least 45.0 percent of his threes, which makes him a picture-perfect fit alongside Simmons.
Green is by no means an elite defender anymore, while his eventual replacement, Matisse Thybulle, is quickly becoming one.
The reasoning is sound for pinpointing Green compared to the other four starters, but there is no doubt that he is so important to Philadelphia’s success. He is a huge 3-and-D option who can knock down the 3-ball efficiently and while it’s true that he is no longer an elite defender, he does bring a presence on that end that gives the Sixers some help.
There is a reason why Philadelphia brought Green back out of free agency and the Sixers will be counting on him to give the team that same production on the floor. They need his two-way ability to be able to give the team the boost that they missed with his injury in Round 2 against the Atlanta Hawks.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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