The Sixers have the kind of top-end talent that can make any opponent uneasy. What they don’t have, at least not yet, is enough reliable help once the stars come off the floor.
Tuesday’s 123-101 loss to the Celtics made that gap easy to see. Boston kept cycling in productive bodies. Philadelphia had far fewer answers.
The bench numbers tell part of the story. According to Michael Kaskey-Blomain of Sixers On SI, the Sixers’ reserves are averaging a league-low 22.6 points. The Celtics sit fifth at 44.1, and in Tuesday’s game Boston’s bench beat Philadelphia’s 49-29.
Payton Pritchard did a lot of the damage, finishing with 18 points, six rebounds and five assists. Sam Hauser added 12 points, and Hugo Gonzalez chipped in 10. That kind of support matters, especially on a night when Paul George was already causing problems for Philadelphia.
Of course, reserve scoring alone doesn’t explain everything. Rotations, minutes and which starters are paired with the second unit all shape those totals. Dean Wade showed that side of it against Boston, finishing with eight points and a team-high nine rebounds without needing a heavy shot diet.
Even so, Nick Nurse needs more dependable options so the same players aren’t forced to absorb every tough stretch.
That issue is showing up in the workload, too. Kaskey-Blomain noted that Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown and VJ Edgecombe are all among the NBA’s top 25 in minutes per game, with Maxey and Brown inside the top 11. At the same time, Justin Edwards and Labaron Philon Jr. have been outside the regular rotation.
More minutes for those younger players wouldn’t promise a fix. But November gives the Sixers a chance to find out whether they can contribute before the games start carrying more weight.
There’s also a roster wrinkle to keep in mind with Anfernee Simons, Wade and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Joel Embiid.
With Embiid trying to regain his shooting touch and LeBron James approaching 42, the Sixers have every reason to keep looking for more answers behind their stars.
In Other News...
Celtics Could Face A Risky Decision On Tatums Closest NBA Friend
Paul Georges recent bounce with Boston has been tied to something simple enough to sound obvious and still matter a lot: health. After dealing with injury issues that slowed him before, he said his improved play with the Celtics has come from finally feeling right again, which is exactly the sort of reminder that can reshape how a team evaluates a veteran. For Boston, it also keeps the focus on a familiar kind of calculation, where talent, timing and durability all have to line up.
Bradley Beal is part of that conversation because of his connection to Jayson Tatum and the idea that the Celtics could someday circle back if the circumstances were right. Tyronn Lue recently said Beal is dealing with knee issues and may need time to recover, which only adds another layer to a situation Boston would have to monitor carefully. If Beal gets back to full health and ever becomes available at a low enough cost, the Celtics could be forced to weigh whether the fit is worth the risk. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Already Have One Huge Edge In The East
The early NBA season was supposed to bring a little more balance to the East, but that shift has not really shown up yet. A handful of teams that were expected to push into the contender tier have been uneven, and the conference still looks a lot like it did a year ago, with Boston sitting at the top of the pack.
For the Celtics, that matters because the path through the East still appears to run through them, and not much has changed to suggest otherwise. While other clubs sort through their issues, Boston continues to look like the team with the cleanest overall picture in the conference, which is a pretty useful place to be this early in the season. [Read more 🡒]
Jayson Tatum's Real Celtics Power Is Suddenly Up For Debate
Isiah Thomas added a familiar layer to the Celtics ongoing conversation about star power and front-office control, suggesting that Jayson Tatums voice may not have carried as much weight in a hypothetical Jaylen Brown trade as some might assume. The broader point is one Boston fans know well: even franchise faces do not always get the final say when it comes to major roster decisions, especially when the front office believes a move is necessary.
The uncertainty around Tatums involvement is what keeps the discussion alive, because the exact extent of his input remains unknown. What Thomas made clear, though, is that decisions of that magnitude usually live with the people running the team, not the player at the center of it, which is why the Celtics history of big trades still hangs over any debate about how much influence Tatum really has. [Read more 🡒]