Evaluating the Sixers' bench heading into the 2019-20 regular season
On paper, the Philadelphia 76ers have one of the most – if not the most – formidable first fives in the entire NBA heading into the 2019-20 NBA season.
They have a third-year All-Star and triple-double machine running the point in Ben Simmons, a versatile two-way perimeter player in Josh Richardson, a three-level scorer on the offensive end in Tobias Harris, a multi-faceted forward capable of defending, passing, and finishing in Al Horford, and a consensus top-10 player in the league (when healthy) in Joel Embiid.
Mike Scott, James Ennis III and Boban Marjanovic were the most reliable players on the Sixers’ bench. Marjanovic signed with the Dallas Mavericks in free agency this summer, but Scott and Ennis are returning.
In the past two seasons, Philly has lost in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Lacking sufficient depth has been a reason the Sixers haven’t moved forward in the postseason. But with players such as Trey Burke, Kyle O’Quinn and Raul Neto joining Philly this summer, the Sixers have depth that can make them stronger next season.
The Sixers had a similarly strong starting five last season (Richardson and Horford replaced Jimmy Butler and J.J. Redick), but issues arose when they turned to the reserves. The Sixers were 27th in the NBA in terms of bench point production last season (31.7 bench points per game), with a near-average bench plus-minus of -0.1. Those numbers didn't improve much in the postseason either, where the Sixers were 11th out of 16 teams in bench points (27.2) and twelfth in bench plus-minus (-3.2). In other words, they were top-heavy.
Though Elton Brand worked to bolster the bench over the offseason – by bringing back Mike Scott, James Ennis, and Furkan Korkmaz, drafting Matisse Thybulle, signing Kyle O'Quinn, Trey Burke, and Raul Neto - it's still fair to wonder if Philadelphia's depth – or lack thereof - could ultimately be their Achilles heel, and hold them back from an NBA title in 2020.
Mike Scott
Scott joined the Sixers at the trade deadline last season, coming with Tobias Harris and Marjanovic from the Los Angeles Clippers.
Near the middle of July, Scott signed a two-year deal to return to Philly. A stretch four who can defend, Scott is going to be one of the Sixers’ most important players off the bench next season.
When he came to Philly in February, he helped provide spacing because of his shooting ability. He shot 41.2% from the three-point line in the regular season and 35.3% in the playoffs. Scott’s ability to defend multiple areas on the floor was evident as well, as the Sixers had a defensive rating of 107.9 in the regular season when he was on the floor, per NBA.com.
Frontcourt
When discussing Philadelphia's frontcourt this season, you have to start with Al Horford. Yes, Horford will start for the Sixers, but he was also brought in as Embiid insurance. As is the trend in the league today, the Sixers are likely going to try to do everything that they can to preserve Embiid and keep him as fresh as possible for a potentially long postseason run; 'load management' is the popular term that is tossed around today when discussing that trend.
Jonah Bolden
A rookie last season, Bolden showed potential to be a solid stretch big who can make threes, defend and grab rebounds.
Bolden played 44 games for the Sixers in the regular season, starting in 10. He shot 35.4% from the three-point line while averaging 2.2 three-point attempts a game. Along with his solid shooting, Bolden also grabbed 3.8 rebounds in 14.5 minutes a game.
Next season, Bolden will presumably be Al Horford’s backup, with Kyle O’Quinn likely backing up Joel Embiid at center.
Bolden and O’Quinn could be interchangeable when it comes to playing power forward and center off the bench, but Bolden being an effective backup could be a key difference for the Sixers, especially considering Embiid is such a significant part of the team’s success.
Backcourt
The backcourt is where there are some real questions for Philadelphia. First, who is going to back up Ben Simmons and run the offense when he isn't on the floor? By the time the postseason rolled around last spring, Jimmy Butler had largely assumed that role, as he initiated much of the offense when Simmons was off of the floor – and sometimes even when he was still on it. Now he's gone, as is McConnell, so Brett Brown will have to figure out who he trusts in that role. Burke will get a shot, as well as Neto, and both have talent, but neither presents a guaranteed answer. The same goes for Shake Milton.
Trey Burke
While the Sixers had an average bench last season, one of the unit’s most glaring weak spots was backup point guard.
When Ben Simmons was off the floor, the Sixers used Jimmy Butler as the backup point guard, but they didn’t have a true guard who could primarily focus on running the offense. With the signing of Burke, though, the Sixers have moved toward strengthening their backup point guard spot.
During his six-year career, Burke has shown he can score and facilitate off the bench. Last season Burke played with the Knicks and Mavericks. He was traded to Dallas in the Kristaps Porzingis trade, playing in 25 games for the Mavericks.
They have a third-year All-Star and triple-double machine running the point in Ben Simmons, a versatile two-way perimeter player in Josh Richardson, a three-level scorer on the offensive end in Tobias Harris, a multi-faceted forward capable of defending, passing, and finishing in Al Horford, and a consensus top-10 player in the league (when healthy) in Joel Embiid.
Mike Scott, James Ennis III and Boban Marjanovic were the most reliable players on the Sixers’ bench. Marjanovic signed with the Dallas Mavericks in free agency this summer, but Scott and Ennis are returning.
In the past two seasons, Philly has lost in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Lacking sufficient depth has been a reason the Sixers haven’t moved forward in the postseason. But with players such as Trey Burke, Kyle O’Quinn and Raul Neto joining Philly this summer, the Sixers have depth that can make them stronger next season.
The Sixers had a similarly strong starting five last season (Richardson and Horford replaced Jimmy Butler and J.J. Redick), but issues arose when they turned to the reserves. The Sixers were 27th in the NBA in terms of bench point production last season (31.7 bench points per game), with a near-average bench plus-minus of -0.1. Those numbers didn't improve much in the postseason either, where the Sixers were 11th out of 16 teams in bench points (27.2) and twelfth in bench plus-minus (-3.2). In other words, they were top-heavy.
Though Elton Brand worked to bolster the bench over the offseason – by bringing back Mike Scott, James Ennis, and Furkan Korkmaz, drafting Matisse Thybulle, signing Kyle O'Quinn, Trey Burke, and Raul Neto - it's still fair to wonder if Philadelphia's depth – or lack thereof - could ultimately be their Achilles heel, and hold them back from an NBA title in 2020.
Mike Scott
Scott joined the Sixers at the trade deadline last season, coming with Tobias Harris and Marjanovic from the Los Angeles Clippers.
Near the middle of July, Scott signed a two-year deal to return to Philly. A stretch four who can defend, Scott is going to be one of the Sixers’ most important players off the bench next season.
When he came to Philly in February, he helped provide spacing because of his shooting ability. He shot 41.2% from the three-point line in the regular season and 35.3% in the playoffs. Scott’s ability to defend multiple areas on the floor was evident as well, as the Sixers had a defensive rating of 107.9 in the regular season when he was on the floor, per NBA.com.
Frontcourt
When discussing Philadelphia's frontcourt this season, you have to start with Al Horford. Yes, Horford will start for the Sixers, but he was also brought in as Embiid insurance. As is the trend in the league today, the Sixers are likely going to try to do everything that they can to preserve Embiid and keep him as fresh as possible for a potentially long postseason run; 'load management' is the popular term that is tossed around today when discussing that trend.
Jonah Bolden
A rookie last season, Bolden showed potential to be a solid stretch big who can make threes, defend and grab rebounds.
Bolden played 44 games for the Sixers in the regular season, starting in 10. He shot 35.4% from the three-point line while averaging 2.2 three-point attempts a game. Along with his solid shooting, Bolden also grabbed 3.8 rebounds in 14.5 minutes a game.
Next season, Bolden will presumably be Al Horford’s backup, with Kyle O’Quinn likely backing up Joel Embiid at center.
Bolden and O’Quinn could be interchangeable when it comes to playing power forward and center off the bench, but Bolden being an effective backup could be a key difference for the Sixers, especially considering Embiid is such a significant part of the team’s success.
Backcourt
The backcourt is where there are some real questions for Philadelphia. First, who is going to back up Ben Simmons and run the offense when he isn't on the floor? By the time the postseason rolled around last spring, Jimmy Butler had largely assumed that role, as he initiated much of the offense when Simmons was off of the floor – and sometimes even when he was still on it. Now he's gone, as is McConnell, so Brett Brown will have to figure out who he trusts in that role. Burke will get a shot, as well as Neto, and both have talent, but neither presents a guaranteed answer. The same goes for Shake Milton.
Trey Burke
While the Sixers had an average bench last season, one of the unit’s most glaring weak spots was backup point guard.
When Ben Simmons was off the floor, the Sixers used Jimmy Butler as the backup point guard, but they didn’t have a true guard who could primarily focus on running the offense. With the signing of Burke, though, the Sixers have moved toward strengthening their backup point guard spot.
During his six-year career, Burke has shown he can score and facilitate off the bench. Last season Burke played with the Knicks and Mavericks. He was traded to Dallas in the Kristaps Porzingis trade, playing in 25 games for the Mavericks.
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