April 16, 2024
Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports
Joel Embiid and Jimmy Butler face off once again Wednesday night in the Play-In Tournament.
With the Sixers' postseason basketball run beginning on Wednesday night against the Miami Heat in the No. 7 vs. No. 8 matchup of the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament, now is as good of a time as ever for a mailbag. Let's get to the questions:
From @MattTalksBall_: Presuming [De'Anthony Melton] is out, who do you see in the rotation Wednesday night?
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse described Melton as having a "journey" ahead of him to being made available for Wednesday night's Play-In Tournament game, and pointed out that even if Melton is cleared for action, he has only logged about 20 minutes since returning from injury, making him very much still in the ramp-up phase of his recovery. Someone in that state, he argued, is not an ideal chess piece for a situation like this in which two losses can end a season. Given Nurse's choice of words, it would be a major surprise if Melton's number was called on Wednesday night.
So, let's start with the locks: Tyrese Maxey, Kyle Lowry, Kelly Oubre Jr., Tobias Harris and Joel Embiid will make up Nurse's starting five. Nic Batum, Buddy Hield and Paul Reed certainly seem like they are locks for the first three bench spots. That leaves one spot left in all likelihood -- coaches rarely go beyond nine rotation pieces in the playoffs, especially in games like this one that are particularly crucial.
The guy that many will likely be clamoring for is Ricky Council IV, who was converted to a standard NBA deal just in time to be eligible for the playoffs. You can never have enough wings, particularly ones who can defend, and Council fits that bill. His offense is suspect, but he has made enough plays over the course of the season that he can at least be called competent on that end of the floor. If he is healthy, KJ Martin checks (and does not check) similar boxes as Council as a supreme athlete who can defend multiple positions but is somewhat of a liability offensively.
While there may eventually be a moment for one or both of those guys, I think the ninth name to be called upon on Wednesday will be Cam Payne. Nurse loves stocking his lineups with as many ball-handlers as possible, and the Heat are not necessarily a team that needs to be attacked with exclusively high-caliber athletes and defenders. Some will rightfully argue that the ball should be in the hands of Maxey, Lowry and Embiid in a game of this magnitude, but the versatility that comes with even just another theoretical ball-handler is not something should be ignored.
Say what you want about Payne -- and he is not a perfect player -- but ever since arriving in Philadelphia along with a future second-round pick courtesy of the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Patrick Beverley, he has given the Sixers exactly what they were hoping for. He has been a steady, calming offensive presence who has helped lift the Sixers out of difficult positions when the team has been undermanned and quickly figured out how to make himself useful once some of the team's major offensive weapons returned from the sidelines.
If Jimmy Butler or another Miami player gets hot early on against the Oubre, Harris and Batum types, maybe Council or Martin could find their way into the game. But barring unforeseen circumstances, Payne feels like the right guy in this spot.
From @zteutsch: Who are the most dangerous players you see in the Sixers' path to the championship and who are their best defensive fits to shut them down?
No matter who they face, the Sixers' most important defensive player will always be Embiid. But that doesn't mean he will always defend the opposing team's most important player. On Wednesday, he will be matched up with an All-Star in Bam Adebayo, one of the main hubs of Miami's offense and a stellar overall player. But against Miami, the key will be containing Butler in one-on-one situations as much as possible, preventing him from drawing double-teams and kicking out to any of the several lethal shooters in Miami's rotation. It will be interesting to see whether Nurse calls upon the services of Oubre or Harris first when it comes to defending Butler, though both will likely see some time against Miami's do-it-all superstar.
Batum is a logical fit to take on that responsibility as well. But, if Miami sharpshooter Duncan Robinson plays (Robinson is currently nursing an injury), the Sixers may want to use Batum on Robinson, as the veteran wing is the Sixers' best off-ball defender by far. In prior matchups between these teams, Batum has changed the game with his defense on Robinson by preventing one of the game's greatest movement shooters from generating open looks for himself by running around screens.
If the Sixers are to beat Miami, there is no secret that their hands will be full with Jalen Brunson of the Knicks, one of the game's elite perimeter scorers who can get buckets against the greatest of competition and make it look easy. That is a matchup where Lowry may need to turn the clock back a bit and use his strength to counter that of Brunson. It is also a matchup where having Melton available, even in a limited role, would be quite valuable. Batum also figures to be a central figure within that matchup if the Sixers do meet New York.
From @TyDaubert: Will we see any meaningful Mo Bamba minutes in the playoffs?
In a vacuum, it is hard to say no for this simple reason: if one is to believe the Sixers' playoff run will last more than just a pair of games, what are the odds that Embiid never once goes down, even with a minor injury? The reigning NBA MVP has regularly dealt with nagging ailments throughout his career, even ones that simply force him back to the locker room for a matter of minutes before an eventual return. Even with Bamba behind Embiid and Reed on the center depth chart, it is not too difficult to imagine a scenario in which he at least makes a brief cameo.
Bamba's play has improved quite a bit over the last several weeks. At several points earlier in the year he looked flat-out incompetent when called upon; these days he flashes impressive shot-blocking and three-point shooting skills while avoiding being too harmful as a defender, rebounder or finisher. Lowry has helped unlock his ability as a lob threat, which makes his offensive fit much easier to configure.
But in a scenario where Embiid goes down or Reed struggles so much that the Sixers need another option at the five, is Bamba their best bet?
I think that depends on the opponent. Let's say for a second that the Sixers face the Boston Celtics at some point in the playoffs, whether that's in the first round of the playoffs or the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics are stacked with quality center options, and just about no matter what, they have a viable five on the floor across all 48 minutes of a game. Against Boston, playing Bamba as a result of an Embiid injury or Reed struggles seems like a must. If the Sixers handle Miami, their first-round opponent would be the New York Knicks, who are similarly strong at the center position. Bamba would likely be the next name called against the Knicks.
But what about in a game against the Heat themselves, who do not have a nailed-down backup center and often go small? At that point, would the Sixers be better off utilizing small-ball lineups featuring Harris and / or Batum in the middle, especially if it allows them to introduce someone like Council to playoff basketball? There is a case to be made.
So, to answer the question itself: yes, if one is to imagine the Sixers making a run of any significance this postseason, Bamba's number will likely be called at some point, even if for a brief period of time. But while Bamba is nominally this team's third center, it should not be assumed that he would be the third option to log minutes at the position against certain opponents.
