Early trends in Brett Brown’s rotations for Philadelphia 76ers

Bigs

Last season’s playoff loss to Toronto was nothing to be ashamed of, but the on/off splits between Joel Embiid and [backup center] were embarrassing. The Phildelphia 76ers had to get a competent backup 5 and they did so shrewdly with the acquisition of Al Horford. His versatility allows him to be a combo 4/5 despite league trends shifting away from two-big lineups.

Already we’ve seen how important his addition is. The team feels more comfortable managing Embiid’s load because of Horford’s aptitude and the reverse will also be true. The Sixers have survived sans Embiid, holding off the Celtics when he got into foul trouble and beating the Pistons without him entirely.

When both were healthy against the Celtics they seldom played together, only opening each half as the frontcourt. That trend will likely continue against good teams, just like the Point Richardson minutes. Having one of them on the court at all times (except in blowouts) will help to offset the weak bench.

When one of them sits, though, Kyle O’Quinn is no slouch. He’s gotten 18 minutes across the first two contests (15 of them in Detroit), collecting seven points, seven boards and two blocks while helping the Sixers to defensive rating of 91 while on the court.

If he can protect the rim responsibly (team’s DRtg with him implies he can) and play a role offensively (his playmaking in the preseason was promising) the team will be even more comfortable load managing its frontcourt.