Three Normal Things: Sixers Vs. Bucks
Three Normal Things
Adam Aaronson, whose legal name is Sixers Adam (@SixersAdam on Twitter), covers the Sixers for The Rights To Ricky Sanchez. He has been legally banned from covering the team in person, and when that ban was set to be lifted, Covid-19 struck. He believes cantaloupe is the best food in existence, and is brought to you by the Official Realtor of The Process, Adam Ksebe.
Welcome back to Three Normal Things! Let’s get started:
#1: Milwaukee adds PJ Tucker
Mere seconds before tip, news broke that the Milwaukee Bucks had an agreement to trade for Houston’s PJ Tucker. Tucker, long rumored to be a trade target of the Sixers, has struggled this season. But because of his playoff experience, contract status and team context, most have believed he will be rejuvenated by a trade and get back to being the quality player he has long been.
There is no doubt that Tucker will help Milwaukee. He’ll enable them to go small more often and add quite a bit of defensive flexibility. But to see them likely give up all they can to get him may be an encouraging sign. They are now likely out of the trade market barring unforeseen circumstances. And while Tucker helps, he doesn’t really add any new dimensions to Milwaukee as a team. The Sixers have the ability to add significantly more valuable through trades over the next week. We’ll find out soon if they do it.
#2: The best half of defense this team has played all year
The Milwaukee Bucks -- who entered tonight second in the NBA in Offensive Rating -- scored just 31 first-half points tonight against a stout Sixers defense that suffocated everything Milwaukee tried to do.
The best part about the Sixers’ first half was watching nearly everyone contribute to it. The standouts -- Ben Simmons and Matisse Thybulle -- led the charge, per the usual. But Dwight Howard was excellent, as was Tobias Harris. Danny Green and Tony Bradley each made plays as well. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more effective and connected defensive effort than the one the Sixers have shown of late.
#3: Half-court offense struggles
The Sixers were able to leak out in transition and score early thanks to their defense, but when the game slowed down their offense buffered. As one would expect from an Embiid-less Sixers team, baskets in the half-court were much harder to come by than you would like.
What made tonight particularly difficult is that Ben Simmons -- who does deserve credit for spreading the ball around the floor in transition -- struggled to create any advantages against Giannos Antetokounmpo, and in turn failed to consistently generate good looks. I’m not concerned in the long-term about Ben, who was being guarded by the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in Antetokounmpo, but his role in the offense growing stagnant is worth noting.
