Philadelphia 76ers: Addressing their performance in the clutch

(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

With an offseason full of activity, addressing their performance in the clutch could be the next step in the progression of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Having won 51 games and appeared in back-to-back postseasons, the natural next step for the Philadelphia 76ers is clear — breaking through to the Eastern Conference Finals for the chance at making their first NBA Finals appearance since 2001.

The 76ers have been ousted in the second round in these past two visits.

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However, this final step is certainly going to be the toughest considering their summer activity.

So while the addition of Al Horford as a free agent and swingman Josh Richardson via trade are significant additions, it’s the personnel that the Sixers have lost that’s going to require a genuine transition stage. Particularly, as it pertains to performance in the clutch.

In the broadest sense of clutch situations, which is the final five minutes of game with the difference being five points or less, the Sixers were solid overall. In 45 games, the Sixers recorded a 30-15 record, ranking second in the league to the Denver Nuggets.

However, this offseason could have real ramifications moving forward.

In addition to shooting guard J.J. Redick leaving via free agency, the Sixers also saw forward Jimmy Butler depart in the sign-and-trade in which they landed Richardson.

On top of being two integral pieces of the Sixers’ starting five, it was their production in the clutch that the Sixers are going to need to replicate and replace this season.

Here’s how the Sixers’ starters fared in clutch situations over the course of last season, when breaking it down further to the final three minutes with the difference being three points or less:

Clutch performance — final three minutes with the difference three points or less:

While he may have converted at an efficient clip, Simmons is rarely used as a scoring option going down the stretch of games, hence his extremely low field goal attempt total in these situations.

However, the clear standout is how well and efficient the duo of Redick and Butler performed as opposed to Embiid and Harris, the likely first and second scoring options on the team this season.

To illustrate this further, here’s a look at the scoring numbers in the clutch during their seven-game, second-round playoff loss to the Toronto Raptors:

Clutch numbers vs. Raptors — final five minutes with the difference five points or less:

  • Jimmy Butler: 14 points, 3-of-6 FGA, 7-of-8 FTA
  • J.J. Redick: 6 points, 2-of-2 FGA, 1-of-1 FTA
  • Joel Embiid: 5 points, 1-of-4 FGA, 3-of-4 FTA
  • Tobias Harris: 2 points, 0-of-2 FGA, 2-of-2 FTA
  • Ben Simmons: 0 points, 0-of-1 FGA, 0-of-0 FTA

With the departure of this highly dependable duo, the existing members of the starting five, along with the new arrivals in Horford and Richardson, are going to need to step up their games significantly in this department.

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In an encouraging sign, here are the numbers for Horford and Richardson this past season in games with less than three minutes decided by three points or less:

Clutch performance — final three minutes with the difference three points or less:

While certainly not in high volume, these numbers are nonetheless highly efficient for this stage of the game, considering they were not the No. 1 option on their respective teams.

So in order to take the next step in 2019-20, the Philadelphia 76ers are clearly going to need to find a couple of go-to scorers when the game is on the line.