How the Sixers Stack Up with Eastern Conference Contenders
With the trade deadline and halfway point of the season squarely in the rearview, the true playoff contenders are starting to come into focus. The buyout deadline for a player to be eligible for the playoffs is April 9th, but for the most part, teams will have the core of their playoff roster set. Considering all this information, let’s look at how the Philadelphia 76ers compare to the other Eastern Conference Contenders. While the Miami Heat are the defending Eastern Conference Champion, we will only be evaluating the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks. The Eastern Conference seems like a three-team race at the moment.
Philly has split the two games they’ve played against Brooklyn this season. Game one was pre-Harden trade and the Nets were without Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. The Sixers were missing Seth Curry. The starless Nets won easily as they knocked down 15 threes and forced 20 Philly turnovers. Game 2 was post-Harden trade but the Nets were still missing their other two superstars. Seven Sixers scored in double-figures as Philly won by 16. The third and final matchup of the series will happen April 14th at the Wells Fargo Center. Hopefully, that will be enough time for both teams to be at full strength as a potential future ECF matchup.
On paper, the Sixers and Nets could come down to who exploits their mismatches more. While Simmons, Green, and Thybulle are all great individual defenders, Brooklyn’s Big 3 is a mismatch for any team. Embiid’s paint presence will help at the rim but all three players are elite perimeter shooters. On the flip side, the Nets have nobody to throw at Embiid. LaMarcus Aldridge and Blake Griffin were flashy signings, but are too small or slow to keep up with the MVP candidate. A Brooklyn-Philadelphia playoff matchup would be an offense vs defense showdown. The Nets lead the league in PPG and are second in points per 100 possessions. However, they are 26th in points allowed at 114.9 and 25th in points allowed per 100 possessions. On the other side, the Sixers rank 8th in PPG and 13th in points per 100 possessions. Not bad offensive numbers, but not as gaudy as their defensive dominance. Philly allows the 7th fewest PPG, which climbs to the 2nd fewest when considering points per 100 possessions.
The Sixers have only played Milwaukee once so far this season. The Bucks won 109-105 in OT with Giannis Antetokounmpo providing Philly plenty of bulletin board material. It was a tale of two halves, with Philly dominating the first half and Milwaukee storming back in the second. Simmons provided lock-down defense on Giannis, holding him to 8 points on 2-8 shooting when he was the primary defender. Embiid missed this game which clearly hurt the Sixers down the stretch. While Milwaukee won the game, it gave fans hope they would be able to compete well against the Bucks once Embiid returns.
Milwaukee is 2nd in the league behind Brooklyn in PPG and 6th in points per 100 possessions, both numbers in-line with last year’s team. But their defense has slipped drastically as Coach Budenholzer tries to implement a switching scheme to prepare for the playoffs. They allow the 20th most PPG but are a respectable 9th in points allowed per 100 possessions. The additions of Jrue Holiday and PJ Tucker give the Bucks two great perimeter defenders that can switch across multiple positions come playoff time. Both will spend time on Simmons and Harris, with Tucker potentially occasionally guarding Embiid in small-ball lineups. Philly’s additions in Seth Curry, Danny Green, and George Hill should help them keep up with Milwaukee’s stable of shooters. And most importantly, Simmons and Embiid are two of the best Giannis-defenders in the league. Simmons is the closest physical match in the league to Giannis after adding strength this offseason. Embiid’s size and strength allow him to stonewall Giannis in the paint. As evidenced in the past playoff matchups, slowing down Giannis is key to beating Milwaukee.
Photo: Aaron Gash/AP
Discover more from Philadelphia Sports Nation
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Categorized:Sixers