Pros and Cons: Sixers vs. Pistons
Instant observations after Sixers-Pistons.
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.
Following a frustrating loss at home against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Sixers traveled to Detroit to face a young and rebuilding Pistons team that has surged a bit in recent weeks. Here’s what’s on my mind tonight:
Pro: Joel Embiid and James Harden continue to lean into the bit
On Sunday, I ranted a bit about the discourse surrounding Embiid, Harden and their penchants for getting to the free throw line. Here is a piece of what I wrote:
“There has been a lot of talk recently about whether or not this team’s offense is truly elite, in part because it is to some extent predicated upon free throws. Much of the discourse, predictably, has been nonsensical.
Here is the bottom line: the Sixers have two players who are so good at scoring the basketball and so good at manipulating their defenders that opposing teams are forced to foul them repeatedly so that they don’t allow easy baskets every time down the floor.
Being fouled is not some sort of luck-based phenomenon. It is directly derived from skill and IQ, both of which Harden and Embiid have to the fullest extent. The Sixers’ offense being engineered by “free throw merchants” is not a negative thing, it is merely an annoying thing for the Sixers’ competition.”
I’ll reiterate this in a calmer manner tonight. As Embiid had a bit of a hard time from the field at times tonight -- relatively speaking, at least -- he was able to produce efficient offense as he dominated Detroit’s back-line. Embiid shot 11 free throws in the first half alone, immediately using his strength and size advantages over the Pistons’ bigs en route to easy points.
Harden frequented the foul line in the first half as well, as he looked much better creating off the dribble than he has in most games of his Sixers tenure.
Perhaps I’m explaining the obvious here, but there is no substitute for the safety that comes with having two historic foul-drawers like Embiid and Harden. This offense certainly isn’t foolproof — which we saw in the second half (more on that soon) — but its two superstars and their tremendous abilities give it a much, much higher floor than your average offense.
Con: Sixers bench struggles… again
Since the Harden acquisition, the Sixers have struggled mightily to get consistent production from their reserves. Tonight’s game was especially tough, with the team’s bench combining for eight points in the entire game, including zero in the first half.
When asked about these types of performances from the bench, Doc Rivers has typically shrugged it off, arguing that this is happening as a result of the team’s staggering of their four best offensive players.
That can be a factor to an extent, but it falls far short of explaining away the bench’s struggles in their entirety.
The best Sixers reserve this season has been Georges Niang, who is a very good shooter, but can’t be relied upon to produce every single night. Then there are hot-and-cold players Shake Milton and Danny Green, cold-and-cold Furkan Korkmaz, and whoever the Sixers pretend is a viable backup center on that given night.
Sacrificing depth when trading two rotation players for one in the Harden deal was a necessary evil. But even while he implements staggering substitution patterns, Rivers needs to figure out how he can get more from his backups.
Con: Sixers routed in fourth quarter
Just when you finally thought the Sixers were safe…
The Sixers had a small lead for most of this game, a contest that looked like one they could easily win as soon as they flipped a switch. However, it ended up being the Pistons who found a different gear, dominating the Sixers on both ends during the game’s final six minutes or so.
The Pistons got whatever they wanted on offense with little resistance, and took advantage of the Sixers’ sloppy offense that yielded several late turnovers and far too many poor looks.
The Sixers finished the fourth quarter with just 15 points, an inexcusably-low number. We all know this team is talented and has untapped potential. But as far as bad, discouraging and unacceptable losses go, this is about as rough as it gets.