Pros and Cons: Sixers vs. Wizards
The good and the bad from Sixers-Wizards.
Adam Aaronson, whose legal name is Sixers Adam (@SixersAdam on Twitter), covers the Sixers for The Rights To Ricky Sanchez. He believes cantaloupe is the best food in existence, and is brought to you by the Official Realtor of The Process, Adam Ksebe.
Looking to pull off a clean sweep of their five-game homestand, the Sixers welcomed the struggling and Bradley Beal-less Washington Wizards to the Wells Fargo Center. Here’s what’s on my mind tonight:
Pro: Isaiah Joe steps up in a big spot
With Shake Milton and Furkan Korkmaz already out, and Seth Curry being a late scratch for tonight’s game, Joe stepped into a pivotal role coming off the bench tonight. And ultimately, he gave the Sixers ample production.
Due to Danny Green getting into foul trouble, Joe played 16 minutes in the first half alone. He finished the game with 11 points, including a trio of three-pointers made.
Joe’s shooting has been inconsistent this season, which is a bit troubling considering it is supposed to be his main skill. But he’s shot the ball well over the last few games, providing some hope that he can tap into some untapped potential and become a rotation regular.
While Joe’s shooting has not translated from college to the pros just yet, his defensive awareness has. He is a smart team defender who, despite being thin, rarely gets beaten on that end.
Especially given Matisse Thybulle’s offensive limitations, Korkmaz’s struggles as a shooter this season and Green’s injury-proneness, having Joe as a reliable bench piece would be of massive value to this team. Might he be turning a corner as we speak?
Con: How the Sixers can better utilize Tyrese Maxey
Maxey continued his stretch of brilliance tonight, taking over the game at times with both scoring prowess and impressive playmaking. While it’s worth celebrating Maxey’s play, I can’t quite shake my thought that he is not yet being fully optimized.
There is a common strategy in recent years when developing substitution patterns is called “staggering.” Staggering is when you largely split up the minutes of certain players to ensure you always have one of them on the floor.
For example, the Sixers have recently been staggering Joel Embiid with Tobias Harris to ensure that second unit lineups have at least one of those guys in them.
I am largely a proponent of staggering, and would like to see Doc Rivers use the strategy even more. More specifically, I believe Rivers should rigidly stagger Embiid and Maxey. For every single second Embiid is off the floor, Maxey should be given the keys to the car. The second-year guard is an improving playmaker for others, but is at his best when he’s looking for his own offense. Especially giving their long-time struggles with Embiid on the bench -- and Embiid having a backup in Andre Drummond whose screening can help Maxey quite a bit -- the Sixers should make it imperative that at least one of the two is in the game at all times.
Con: Sixers plagued by offensive rebounds in loss
The Sixers looked like they might pull away at one point in the fourth quarter, but their mistakes coalesced into too deep of a hole for them to make it out of.
Per usual, the Sixers’ biggest weakness was on the defensive glass. They struggled to end possessions after getting stops, and the Wizards rode into the sunset thanks to it. They grabbed 15 offensive rebounds in total, constantly forcing the Sixers to get multiple stops on one possession.
The circumstances entering this game makes it even more troubling: the Sixers entered riding high after an emotional, dramatic mood. Meanwhile, the Wizards were on the second leg of a road-road back-to-back after losing handily in Milwaukee against the Bucks last night, and didn’t have their best player.
This was a game the Sixers could have easily had. Instead, they finished their (still successful) homestand with a tough loss.