CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers are still getting everybody on the same page at this stage of the 2022-23 season. They have won five games in a row to begin their seven-game homestand, and they are beginning to get roles down for everybody.
The Sixers’ bench unit is led by point guard Shake Milton, who is the main ball-handler for that group. He is relied upon to provide bench scoring as well as run the pick-and-roll with big man Montrezl Harrell.
Milton looks like he has begun to nail down the offensive chemistry with the veteran Harrell.
“He’s just unique,” Milton said of Harrell. “He has super long arms and he doesn’t look like the most big or imposing dude, but he’s super crafty. He also has this key element of being physical. A lot of times when he gets the ball under there, I don’t understand how he creates that space and then gets up and he’s still able to dunk the ball. It’s not like seven feet or anything. It’s impressive.”
Harrell is averaging 14.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per 36 minutes in the 25 games he has played. His playing time has been up and down as Philadelphia works through its backup center options, but the veteran has found his spot as an offensive option off the bench.
He and Milton have developed the chemistry needed to succeed on the offensive end.
“I think just continuing to play,” Milton added. “Trez is one of those dudes you can hit at the elbow and then go cut and make plays that he can pass out of those situations, too. So that adds a different dynamic to our offense. I think just continuing to get him in the right spots and then continuing to work on our pick-and-roll game. I feel like we have good chemistry as it is, but the more we play, the better it’ll be.”
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