Sixers Tinker with Double-Big Look in Loss to Nets-Can It Work Long-Term?
PHILADELPHIA - When the offense starts sputtering, Nick Nurse doesn’t reach for the panic button-he reaches into his bag of tricks. The Sixers head coach has never been shy about experimenting with lineups, and Tuesday night’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets offered another glimpse into his willingness to shake things up.
With the Sixers struggling to generate consistent offense, Nurse deployed a double-big lineup in the second half, pairing Joel Embiid with either Andre Drummond or rookie Adem Bona. It wasn’t part of the initial game plan, but rather a move born out of necessity-especially after Embiid briefly exited early in the third quarter, grabbing at his right knee and heading to the locker room.
While the reigning MVP was being evaluated, Drummond stepped in and made an immediate impact. He brought energy, hustle, and a couple of timely tip-ins that helped breathe life into a stagnant Sixers offense. His presence was felt-and once Embiid was cleared to return, Nurse opted to keep the size on the floor, rolling with both bigs to see if the added length and rebounding could tilt the game back in Philly’s favor.
The results? A mixed bag.
“I would say it was hard to judge,” Embiid said postgame. “At times I thought it looked pretty good, but we also were not able to take advantage of that and also making shots from 3.”
And there’s the rub. When you go big in today’s NBA, you better be able to space the floor.
The Sixers couldn’t. Their outside shooting went cold, and Brooklyn’s defense took full advantage, collapsing into the paint and daring Philly’s perimeter players to beat them from deep.
They didn’t.
“If you're not shooting well from 3, it's kind of hard to get the right spacing,” Embiid added. “The defense collapsed on everything, but it was worth a try. If that's gonna happen again, we just need to keep working on it."
That’s the challenge with any double-big lineup in the modern game. It can work-but only if the floor is spaced properly and the perimeter threats are hitting shots. Otherwise, the paint gets too crowded, and even someone as dominant as Embiid can find himself wading through traffic.
Still, there’s something intriguing about the potential. Drummond’s rebounding and physicality, or Bona’s athleticism and defensive instincts, could complement Embiid in short spurts-especially against teams with size or when Philly wants to control the glass. The key is finding the right balance and building the chemistry that makes those minutes productive instead of clunky.
For now, it’s a wrinkle the Sixers may keep in their back pocket. Not something they’ll lean on heavily, but a card to play when the situation calls for it. And if they can clean up the spacing and knock down shots, it might just become more than a one-off experiment.
Bottom line: It’s not about abandoning the modern game-it’s about finding new ways to win within it. And if Nurse’s double-big look can evolve, it could give the Sixers a new dimension heading into the heart of the season.