Three Sixers who need to step up when the NBA season returns
At the suspension of the NBA season, the Philadelphia 76ers currently stands as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. It is no secret that the Sixers’ season has been a rollercoaster and currently a disappointment, but with a return to the NBA season looming (July 31st), the team has a chance to change that perception. However, to make the most of a tragic season and a tragic year, in general, the following players need to step up.
This list will not contain Joel Embiid or Ben Simmons because, unquestionably, this organization will go as far as their stars ultimately take them.
Tobias Harris
In all honesty, Tobias Harris’s play has been more than adequate this season; nevertheless, his 180 million dollar extension emboldened Sixers’s fans to scrutinize his every mistake. His inconsistent behind the arc shooting, especially early in the season, and his, despite improved, vulnerability on defense have made him a talking point for Philadelphia sports radio.
Tobias certainly needs to consistently move his feet when defenders are trying to drive him to the rim. He can achieve this improvement by forcing his opponent to the sidelines of the court. As for his three-point shooting, if Tobias asset his shot selection problem, that percentage will rise when the playoffs commence.
Furthermore, throughout the season, there were numerous instances where Harris had clear driving lanes against smaller defenders, but he settled for three or jumpers outside of the paint. If Tobias becomes more aggressive and relentlessly finishes at the rim, rhyme three-pointers will come naturally.
Additionally, Tobias must continue to be aggressive on the glass; he, like many others on the team, has occasionally forgotten to box-out.
Matisse Thybulle and Furkan Korkmaz
Most NBA fans agree that Matisse Thybulle and Furkan Kormaz are two different players; however, I grouped them in the second spot because they are foils of one another.
Both Matisse and Furkan have been more than pleasant surprises for the coaching staff and Sixers’ fans, which have made them integral to the bench. As a result, the Sixers need them both to become the best versions of themselves as the playoffs commence.
For Matisse, that means his three-ball returning to his early-season form. During November and December, Thybulle shot 47.4% and 54.5 respectively from the three-point range. Nevertheless, beyond that, his percentage per month was 22.2%, 33%, and 25.0%. If he can return to some semblance of his earlier form, the Sixers have a two-way wing that creates space for Ben Simmons and Embiid to operate and can lock down one of the opposing team’s best guard.
As Thybulle’s strength is defense, Korkmaz’s weakness is that end of the court. Despite forcing some timely charges, opponents have consistently blown by Korkmaz on route to the rim. Furkan must focus on keeping the ball-handler in front of him, especially during high picks.
At the commencement of the season, no Sixer fans would have predicted that Furkan Kormaz would be one of the best, if not the best, three point-shooter on the Sixers. No player on the Sixers bench, besides, perhaps, Shake Milton or the newly acquired Alex Burks, posses the offensive diversity that Kormaz has displayed, especially in the latter portion of the season. However, although both Matisse Thybule and Furkan Kormaz will be defensively and offensively minded players respectively throughout their careers, incremental improvements in their weaknesses will increase their time on the court and this season’s results for the 76ers.
Al Horford
Al Horford had bared most of the blunder regarding the 76ers, at least locally, and rightfully so. Following a roughly 100 million dollar payday, Horford has had one of his worst seasons in recent memory; his field goal percentage is the worst in his career. None the less, Horford has not merely fallen flat statistically but also with the eye test. Every move Horford makes on the basketball-court, whether mentally, strategically, or physically, feels as though he is moving in molasses. Either Horford has physically and athletically worn down or does not fully understand his role in the offense.
Moreover, Horford has even floundered at the simplest of basketball actions. He is probably the worse offender of both of the Sixers’ most significant mental mistakes: forgetting to box-out and laughable shot selection at the highest leverage moments in the basketball game.
Additionally, when singing Al Horford, the Sixers were supposed to be a better version of the 2004 Pistons by competing with a bully-ball style as Elton Brand has stated on numerous occasions. Nonetheless, the Sixers and Al Horford have not doubled down on their bully-ball style of play this year, especially with the number of threes Embiid (3.7 per game — second highest in his career) and Al (4.4 per game — highest in his career) have taken.
Furthermore, even though most 76ers’ fans want to blame Brett Brown for the lack of physicality from Horford, Al has to take some blame for not demanding to post-up, specifically when there are clear height and weight advantages. He is the veteran voice in the locker room, after all. Likewise, teams have toyed with Horford defensively on switches, which is unexpected based on the rest of his career. The sole solution to the Al Horford dilemma is changing his role to the sixth man.
Overall, fans and pundits deemed Al Horford the missing link for the Sixers that would effectively spell for Embiid when necessary and push the Sixers defense from decent to stifling. Thus far, neither has occurred.
All in all, the Sixers’ ownership, front office, coaching staff, medical staff, and team roster need to step-up to salvage this season. However, minuscule improvements and consistent quality performance from these four players could be the missing link that allows the Sixers to realize their potential fully.
All statistics from Basketball-Reference or NBA.com/Stats
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Originally published at FlyPhillyFly.com
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