The NBA playoffs are right around the corner, and for the Philadelphia 76ers, this is a critical postseason. Championship windows in the NBA don’t last forever, and the Sixers need to take advantage of Joel Embiid playing at such an incredibly high level.
Coach Doc Rivers has received criticism in past playoffs for going to all-bench units that would not get the job done. A big example was in 2021 against the Atlanta Hawks. Those units struggled and they were a factor, albeit a small one, in Philadelphia losing that series.
The coach promised there likely will not be any all-bench units in the upcoming playoffs when he joined “Keyshawn and Max” on ESPN on Wednesday morning:
I don’t think this is a team that we’ll play an all-bench unit. I would say this, (Tyrese) Maxey, Tobias (Harris), Joel or James (Harden), for the most part, will always be on the floor. That’s basically what we’ve done all year this year.
Rivers is right. The Sixers haven’t gone to the all-bench units often during the season. The Sixers have had Harden run things alongside an athletic group with some combination of Paul Reed, Jalen McDaniels, De’Anthony Melton, and Georges Niang. That lineup is going to have to produce big numbers when Embiid goes to the bench for Philadelphia to succeed.
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