The Philadelphia 76ers are dealing with a rash of injuries at the absolute worst time right now. In the middle of one of their toughest road trips of the year, they were already down Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, but now they are without Josh Richardson as well.
Sitting at the 5 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff standings, the message for them does not change on this trip. They need to continue to try and rack up some wins so they can move up in the standings and get home-court advantage in the playoffs.
So, despite being down yet another starter, the mindset does not change from the beginning of the trip.
“Honestly, it’s the same mindset and approach from the last game,” said Tobias Harris. “We just want to go out there and pull for one another, fight for each other, and stay together throughout the whole night. It’s the same type of mindset, just heightened a little bit, and everybody’s opportunities and roles enhance. We’ve just got to be ready and focus on that.”
Without Simmons, Embiid, and Richardson, it really is a tough ask of this team to go into Staples Center and beat LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and a Los Angeles Lakers team that is at the top of the Western Conference. However, considering where this team is, they have got to dig deep and keep the same mentality for the stretch run.
“It’s about a team and it’s about that collective effort and that collective spirit,” Brown said. “It’ll be even more needed when you’re now down another defensive player. The thing that people can’t forget that apart from the talent that is missing, each of those three really are defensively driven.”
To Brown’s point, who defends James? What about Davis? Who makes sure a guy like Kyle Kuzma is not getting behind the defense for dunks? Who stops Dwight Howard on the glass? Those three players would hold the answers to those questions.
“They’re positionally important for us because you’ve got one who can stalk point guards, J-Rich,” Brown continued. “You got one who is 7-foot-2 and a rim protector and then you’ve got one who is a Swiss Army knife who can guard Kawhi (Leonard) or LeBron or whatever and so apart from the talent, it’s defense and those key areas of defense that we’re going to have to make up for.”
The Sixers and the Lakers tipoff at 10:00 p.m. EST from the Staples Center on Tuesday. [lawrence-related id=26954,26945,26936]