Getty Head coach Doc Rivers of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Something about this Philadelphia 76ers team is just plain off. The good vibes from training camp and an unbeaten preseason have long since packed their bags for the Jersey Shore. Health has been another key concern, with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and James Harden all missing significant time with myriad injuries.
But even with Harden’s return to the lineup against the lowly Rockets Monday, something still felt wrong with this Sixers team. If you ask Doc Rivers, the answer is simple: a lack of playmaking. Rivers, a point guard himself, pointed to the utter lack of depth at that position as a reason the Sixers have been struggling so much this season.
“Our passing and our ball-handling has been limited,” Rivers told reporters in reference to Harden’s absence. “Let’s just be honest there. And we’re probably the only team in the NBA without a true point guard, but James is as close to that as we have. Especially, with his ability to see the floor and pass.”
In bemoaning the lack of a point guard, Rivers appears to have taken a shot at the team’s roster construction. But over the summer, the priority wasn’t on adding playmaking. It was adding depth.
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With the Sixers’ bench finishing 28th in scoring and 27th in assists last season, GM Daryl Morey wasted little time padding the second unit with depth upgrades. First came Danuel House, Jr., whose shooting was thought to add some scoring oomph.
Then came PJ Tucker, more of an enforcer type, whose tough-nosed defense come playoff time would come handy against the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo. On draft night, Philadelphia traded for De’Anthony Melton, a tenacious wing defender in his own right. And finally, with the time ticking down on summer vacation, Philadelphia signed free agent Montrezl Harrell, who would slide in as Joel Embiid’s backup at center.
But through the first quarter of the season, only one of those players has been much of a success in the City of Brotherly Love: De’Anthony Melton. With Maxey and Harden both out, Melton slid into one of the starting backcourt slots. And so far, he’s been one of the league’s best defenders, with a 3.2 percent steals rate that ranks as the very best in the league.
PJ Tucker this season:
— Most 0-point games by a starter
— 2nd in minutes by a 76er
— 10th in points by a 76er
— 2nd highest +/- by a 76er
The most 0-point games by any starter since 2010.
For House, Tucker, and Harrell, it’s been, at best, a mixed bag. Tucker, the lone starter of the bunch, went a full eight games scoring just three points total. His offense wasn’t the reason he landed in Philly, but he was simply failing to make the few shots he attempted. Harrell is in the middle of a battle with Paul Reed over that second center spot, and House is shooting just 34.9 percent from deep.
If anything, it’s been one Philadelphia bench holdover who has played the best so far this season.
Shake Milton’s Renaissance with the Sixers
At the start of the season, it looked like Shake Milton had officially lost his place in the Sixers’ lineup. Through Philly’s first eight games, Milton was either relegated to a coach’s DNP or, when he did see action, it was limited to roughly seven minutes of garbage time per night.
But with Maxey and Harden out, the Sixers were left with no other option but Shake, the team’s only real point guard. And from mid-November on, he’s done as much as anyone to keep Philadelphia competitive, averaging 19.6 points on 43.6 percent from deep per game.
Shake Milton’s last 4 games:
27 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST, 66% FG
16 PTS, 6 REB, 5 AST, 50% FG
22 PTS, 7 REB, 9 AST, 56% FG
24 PTS, 9 REB, 10 AST, 54% FG
Milton is especially good at feeding the ball to Embiid in the elbow, something the team has lacked with Maxey in the lineup. In fact, his play during November was so strong, Rivers announced that Milton would indeed continue to see minutes even when the team is at full strength.