Philadelphia 76ers: 3 pivotal subplots over the final 25 games

3. The integration of Marco Belinelli

It didn’t take long for Belinelli to ingratiate himself to the Sixers’ faithful.

Having signed with the Sixers shortly after clearing waivers from the Atlanta Hawks, Belinelli wasted no time in impressing in his new uniform. Coming off the bench, Belinelli scored 11 of his 17 points in final quarter, including hitting 3-of-5 from 3-point range in the Sixers’ 104-102 win over the Miami Heat.

Considering the Sixers’ bench scoring woes this season, having a veteran such as Belinelli who can break open a game in the blink of an eye is a real luxury for coach Brown and his staff. This ability came through clearly in this performance, with Belinelli hitting all three of his long range bombs within a 2:20 span in the final period.

With Embiid sidelined for the game, Belinelli’s contributions naturally carried more weight considering the impact Embiid has made throughout the course of the season.

Belinelli also caught fire in the Sixers’ latest win over the Orlando Magic. Playing 27 minutes, Belinelli posted 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field. Most notably, he was a team-high +15 while open the floor.

Considering the Sixers’ bench through 57 games ranked 26th in points per game and 30th in offensive rating, integrating Belinelli is a good problem to have for coach Brown and his staff.

A career 37.7 percent shooter from long distance, Belinelli’s ability to interchange between the 2- and 3-spots is bound to open up the floor for the likes of Embiid, Simmons and co. to operate and go to work. A more than capable ball-handler, Belinelli’s ability to pinch-hit as the primary floor leader could further enable coach Brown to throw out ultra-aggressive 3-point shooting lineups when the time arises.

In the meantime, it will be fascinating to see how the one-time NBA champion as a member of the 2014 San Antonio Spurs integrates himself into the Sixers’ offensive system.