The Philadelphia 76ers will be without big man Joel Embiid for Tuesday’s matchup with the Phoenix Suns after he suffered an ankle injury in Sunday’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. That means coach Brett Brown has to get creative when it comes to his rotations.
One of those options is turning to Mike Scott who despite standing at just 6-foot-8 filled in for Embiid on Sunday and he took on Blazers big man Jusuf Nurkic and he held his own. He had nine points and four rebounds while knocking down a three in 15:58 of playing time as he continued to fight in his minutes at center.
“Mike is one of these lightning in a bottle type of players that usually you hold that type of phrasing for a guard,” said coach Brett Brown. “Somebody who’s going to come in and bam-bam stuff, it’s not normally given to 4-men. I think he can come into a game and be like whack-whack just hit quick back-to-back threes and make the game pivot. There’s a physicality that he doesn’t shy away from, it’s just who he is. There’s just a toughness that he plays with mentally and physically that equals playoff atmosphere.”
The thing that is on Scott’s side is his ability to stretch the floor at the position and drag the opposing big man a bit out of the paint. While he might have some issues on the defensive end of the floor trying to defend bigger players and keeping them off the glass, he has the advantage on offense with his quickness, toughness, and shooting.
“I like it,” Scott said. “Defensively, I just got to make sure I keep my man off the boards. If they’ve got a strong post-up guy like Nurkic, just try to make it difficult for him, use quickness, and restrain him a little bit. Offensively, I get to pick-and-pop and space to shoot and make a play for my teammates so I enjoy.”
In terms of his role, Scott does not exactly have a defined role on this team. As one of the veterans, he just has to step in and provide an example while also being one of the more productive guys on his team.
“What his role is, I’m not sure, but I do know when we do call upon him, he’s got the ability offensively to do what I just said,” Brown finished with. “That’s part of the depth of a bench and it’s not like he’s young, he’s been around for a while. I’m personally very fond of how he conducts himself and plays with a spirit that I respect.”
The Sixers take on the Suns at 4:30 p.m. EST from inside the bubble in Orlando. [lawrence-related id=36673,36667,36637]