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: Superman to the rescue
After the Sixers trounced the Spurs on Sunday night, I touched on a budding new dynamic duo within the Sixers rotation. Furkan Korkmaz and Dwight Howard, who have developed excellent chemistry, are operating a two-man game that is becoming a staple of the team’s Embiid-less offense.
But tonight, Dwight further validated hopes that he had indeed turned a corner after struggling for a few weeks earlier in the season. Howard’s hands are still suspect, but he’s been much better finishing around the rim, more attentive on defense and less mistake-prone as a whole.
#2: Seth Curry figuring it out
Tonight’s first half was an uneventful one for Curry, whose penchant for long two-pointers was continuing to prevent him from adding the most value to the Sixers’ offense as he could. But in the third quarter, there was no hesitance from Curry -- he was ready to launch from beyond the arc.
Whether it was open or contested, right behind the line or a few feet away from it, he showed a willingness to be ready to put a three-pointer up at any time. It’s a willingness that in the present, Danny Green has shown to have. In the past, it was a significant part of Robert Covington’s value to the offense.
If he can continue playing in this state of mind, Curry has the ability to make this effective starting unit even more dangerous.
#3: Shaken
Shake Milton has struggled mightily since returning from injury. Entering tonight, Milton was shooting just 41 percent from the field and 31 percent from three in the nine games since coming back.
Tonight we saw even more of Milton’s struggles, with him failing to generate any offense for himself or others. It will be fascinating to see how his prolonged slump factors into Daryl Morey’s calculus with the March 25 trade deadline looming.
Bonus #4: Tobias the closer strikes again
How good has Tobias Harris been this year, man. Harris once again was called upon to put the game away late, and boy did he take care of business. This is by far the most capable the Sixers have looked on offense down the stretch in close games since they had Jimmy Butler.