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The Philadelphia 76ers’ playoff run is off to a strong start as they’ve jumped to a 2-0 lead in dominant fashion against the Toronto Raptors. After a slow start in game two, The Sixers quickly recovered to build a 67-52 lead at halftime before cruising to a 112-97 win in the second half.
It was another balanced effort from the Sixers as all five starters scored in double figures, including three players with 20 points or more. Joel Embiid led the way for the Sixers with 31 points and 11 rebounds, while Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris put in 23 and 20 points.
Proposed Trade
With the playoffs underway it’s too late for teams to make trades or add more players to their roster. However, the NBA offseason is just a couple of months away which will give teams chances to improve their rosters.
The Sixers won’t have Matisse Thybulle for games three and four in Toronto because he is only partially vaccinated. If the Sixers had known in advance that this is how things might play out, it’s fair to wonder if they would have made another trade at the deadline.
In a new article from Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz, he suggests trades that each playoff team wishes they could make now and will be able to make this summer. With Thybulle’s absence from the games in Toronto, Swartz suggested the Sixers trade for another defensive-minded player in Thunder forward Kenrich Williams.
Few players made a bigger defensive impact this season than Williams, who improved the Thunder by a whopping 13.5 points per 100 possessions on defense alone, ranking in the 99th percentile, per Cleaning the Glass.
The Sixers could trade Springer, the team’s 2021 first-round pick, and future draft capital in return for Williams, who will be easy to salary-match with his expiring $2 million deal.
In the proposed trade the future draft capital is a second-round pick in the 2023 draft. While Williams is not a household name he put together a solid season before injuring his knee in February, causing him to miss the rest of the season.
Williams was averaging 7.4 points and 4.5 rebounds in 21.9 minutes per game. He also shot 46.1% from the field and 33.9% from three. Injuries affected his performance this season, but last season he averaged 8.0 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 53.3% from the field and 44.4% from three.
For the Sixers, Williams could be a positive and cheap addition this offseason. Two things teams always need more of are defense and shooting, Williams can bring both.
Concerns About Harden
While the Sixers have played great so far this postseason, the one player who’s struggled so far is James Harden. In the first two games, Harden has averaged 18 points, 10 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game.
The struggles have really come from the field, Harden has shot just 34.6% from the field. He is shooting 45.5% from three after making 4-7 in game two. Hopefully, for the Sixers, his three-point shooting in game two is a sign that his shot is coming around.
Harden’s struggles haven’t hurt the Sixers so far, but there will be a time this postseason where they’ll need him to be the Harden he was in Houston.