Watch Out for a Deep and Dynamic Sixers Bench
With the new additions of rookie Tyrese Maxey and champion Dwight Howard, along with the impressively improved Shake Milton and Furkan Korkmaz, the Sixers bench unit showed signs of domination in the regular-season opener Wednesday.
Shake Milton lead all bench scorers, scoring 19 points in 30 minutes.
The new starting lineup struggled to get going, but the bench stood up and provided a punch to get the team going. While the starting unit combined for a -39 (Danny Green was -27), the second unit accumulated a +69, led by Milton with a game-high +33.
Daryl Morey and Elton Brand have assembled a bench supplying a dynamic mix of scoring and defensive versatility.
A Milton and Maxey backcourt produces a unique blend of inside and outside scoring, along with an instinctive defensive repertoire.
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Milton’s offense has been the story in the preseason, but his defense was outstanding, holding Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook to a combined 3-of-13 from the field when guarding them last night. The continued development of Korkmaz has taken him from the last man on the roster to a key piece off the bench, developing his ball-handling and defense to pair nicely with his career from beyond the arc at 37%. Add in the 3-and-D skill set of Mike Scott and defensive menace Matisse Thybulle, 76ers Head Coach Doc Rivers has many options to evaluate as the season progresses.
But, most importantly, the free-agent signing of Dwight Howard may be the most crucial player off the bench. The 17-year veteran provides an athletic rebounder and rim runner for the Sixers in the fast break. But, his leadership and experience will be pivotal for the success of the team. With Joel Embiid’s history of injury and load management, Howard will be getting some starts in this jam-packed 72-game season.
Doc Rivers has proven to get everything out of his bench from his years with the Los Angeles Clippers and Boston Celtics, and there is no reason why it stops here with the Sixers.
It’s been a long time since the Sixers have legitimately been able to go 11 deep, but this bench allows for a heavier workload than prior benches in years past.
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Categorized:Sixers