Wings
The NBA has become very wing-oriented in recent years. The Philadelphia 76ers haven’t always had the personnel to embrace this movement — until now.
Without getting too technical with positions, most teams slot wings at the 2 and 3, with some expansion to the 4 in the right matchups.
The latter part is definitely how Tobias Harris has been used: mostly a 3 against Boston and Atlanta and a full-time 4 in Detroit. Embiid’s absence forced (or allowed, depending on your perspective) Harris to play more 4 and he did so on opening night when Horford and Embiid were staggered.
Embiid’s ankle sprain moved Matisse Thybulle into the lineup on Saturday, leading to a Simmons-wings-Horford lineup. That quintet will be common in the non-Embiid minutes to open up the spacing more for Simmons to attack.
Thybulle’s emergence as a primary backup is excellent; the rookie out of Washington is a menace defensively and knows his role offensively. This has shifted James Ennis and Mike Scott down a peg, allowing them to each be full-time backups at the 3 and 4 respectively.
The biggest surprise early on has been Furkan Korkmaz’s integration. Brett Brown has justified it by citing the need for bench shooting, which is definitely true, though he’s only taken six 3s (and made one) in 39 minutes. That’s a concern for Thybulle too, as the 22 year-old has only clipped three of 12 from downtown.
Maybe it’s for the best. The only other backup with significant shot attempts is Scott, who has hit five of 11 for a 45.5 percent clip. He continues to be an excellent spacer off the bench.
Thybulle needs to start hitting more, but it’s clear that he knows his role already. The shots will fall. Korkmaz has been getting to spots and cutting well; the offense has simply found other looks.
When Shake Milton recovers from the bone bruise in his left knee, his usage as a wing will be much better than as a lead playmaker. Letting him hone in on what he’s best at will help the team much more in the short and long term.
The rotation on its whole is a lot more interesting than in years past. The starting lineup is elite, and they’re good and versatile enough to buoy reserve units when staggered. There’s an obvious need for more shooting, but in the meantime the defense is elite.