The Philadelphia 76ers should have mixed feelings about where they find themselves nearly three-quarters of the way through the NBA season. On the one hand, they rebounded from last year's atrocity and have built a solid foundation centered on Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. On the other hand, many of the same ghosts from the Sixers' past still exist, which has led to inconsistencies in the lineup and, thus, in play.
Joel Embiid remains a nightly game-time decision, and Paul George is only halfway through his 25-game suspension. It is time for Sixers head coach Nick Nurse to truly begin prioritizing his constants and see what can be accomplished before the playoffs roll around in mid-April.
Here are three lineup experiments that Nurse needs to implement and stick with:
The Sixers started the season learning to play and win games without Joel Embiid more effectively than they ever have throughout his career. Once Embiid came back and reasserted himself as a dominant offensive force, much of that early-season style of play and muscle memory went by the wayside. Everyone in the Sixers organization knew that Embiid would not magically play in every game the rest of the year once he returned, which makes their recent struggles without him more pronounced and aggravating.
The Sixers need to transition their efforts and practice habits back towards resembling the team that began the year without Embiid, Paul George, or expectations. They are further aided by the fact that Paul George is unable to compete right now. This is Tyrese Maxey's team, and he needs to get his run even if he is showing signs of wearing down after logging an exorbitant amount of minutes to this point in the season.
Nick Nurse needs to structure his rotations so the team always has one of Embiid or Maxey on the floor, save for a blowout. Not only will that allow Maxey the chance to shine on his own and regain the feel for operating a team in his image again, but it also gives Embiid the single best chance to maximize his trade value should the team attempt to move off of his salary this offseason.
Adem Bona has all the right tools to be a quintessential backup center in today's NBA except for his inability to shoot. Possessing the tools and knowing how and when to use them are different. Every tantalizing aspect of Bona’s game is coupled with another equally as frustrating.
However, Bona is never going to establish a true rhythm without the leeway to make some mistakes, and that is something Nick Nurse seems to have figured out in recent weeks, be it organically or because the situation demanded it. He is the much better present and future option to make a winning impact than Andre Drummond, and he should be treated like such.
The biggest thing holding Bona back is the bricks he calls hands. He is a below-average play-finisher and rebounder because he is flat-out bad at securing the basketball. The more playing time he receives, the more opportunity he has to fix those fundamental kinks, and the better the team will be for it. Adem Bona should be playing close to 20 minutes a night regardless of whether Embiid is in the lineup.
There are so many good and downright uncommon things to say about the rookie. He does not seem fazed by the big stage; he is fearless, personal and team struggles do not change his attitude or intensity level.
Edgecombe wants to guard the opposing team's best option, and so on. All that being said, the best thing about VJ Edgecombe, with roughly a quarter of his first NBA season left, is that he is deserving of and willing to take on even more.
Giving Edgecombe more on-ball reps benefits the entire operation. He has more opportunities to learn how to run the offense, as he is clearly becoming more comfortable controlling his athleticism while driving and leaving his feet. He can establish better pick-and-roll chemistry with Joel Embiid and also learn Tyrese Maxey's off-ball tendencies so the Sixers do not appear redundant.
When he is operating the bench unit, he can spend time refining his handle and also hunting his shot at all three levels, which will only instill more confidence in him as he grows and matures.
Tyrese Maxey needs a bit of a break coming down the stretch of the season if the Sixers want him at his best come playoff time. Joel Embiid can feast on even easier opportunities if the other team has to worry about someone else running the show. The kid has big guts and is built for great responsibility, and it is not too early in his career for Nick Nurse to put the ball in his hands until he is forced to take it out of them.
