Philadelphia’s preseason win against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday helped bring a sense of hope and normalcy to Sixers fans.
It’s crazy to think that the regular season is already next week. The vibe across the city seems to be filled with excitement and cautious optimism, as fans are eager to see how the offseason changes will affect the team.
A couple weeks ago, I wrote a piece detailing how the Sixers Big 3 must step up in order for the squad to be successful. Now, let’s take a look at what the role players will need to do to elevate the team’s play.
Shake Milton caught fire in late-February/early-March before the season got postponed. Watching Paul George yell for help while guarding Shake was one of the highlights of the year. Unfortunately, things slowed down for the second-year player once he got to the NBA Bubble.
Now, the 24 year old will most likely be asked to take on the sixth man role for the Sixers and bring an offensive spark off the bench. The duo guard could do this by either dribbling and creating while Simmons is off the floor, or be used as a catch and shoot option. His offensive versatility would do wonders for the Sixers if he can take a leap and contribute at a consistent basis.
Milton showed flashes of excellence on Tuesday, and was the game’s leading scorer with 19 points on 8/14 shooting in 23 minutes. This would be a much needed source of shooting depth for the Sixers if Shake can keep it up when the games count.
Danny Green was mocked during the playoffs for his shooting slump, but he managed to bounce back and help the Lakers win a title. Give Daryl Morey a ton of props for being able to snag a veteran like Green in exchange for dumping Al Horford’s contract.
In addition to leadership, Green brings the Sixers something they have needed for years: a 3&D wing. Teams will have to respect his shooting ability and stick close to him, which will help Simmons and Embiid do their thing on offense. The better he can shoot, the more spacing and options there will be for the star duo. It will also be great to have someone defend guards and wings at a high level to add to an already strong defense.
Tyrese Maxey has been admired by fans since being drafted for his talent and strong work ethic. The rookie surpassed expectations in his first preseason game. Maxey dropped 8 points on 4/6 shooting once he got minutes in the second half. He showed off his abilities to brilliantly dribble, drive and score.
Maxey may not receive regular minutes right away, and it should be added he played against mostly Boston’s second and third stringers. He is still a young player with plenty of developing to do. However, if Maxey can start doing this soon against more talented players, he could be quickly added to the rotation. His skill set to create through pick and roll offense would add a nice piece to the Sixers offense.
Dwight Howard should finally be the piece the Sixers have been looking for the past few seasons: A quality backup center for Embiid.
The 35 year old will be excellent to play most of the 15-20 minutes per game that Embiid’s on the bench. He can start when Embiid needs a night off. No one expects the eight-time all star to be the Superman of old, but he still had a productive season with the Lakers last year where he finally won a championship. If he can repeat last season’s success of interior play and rebounding, his talent and leadership would do wonders to the Sixers bench.
