There’s no getting around it: The last two-plus months of Sixers basketball have been arduous. Injuries were as numerous as they were significant, their position in the Eastern Conference was hurt tremendously, and a lot of confidence in the team in the city of Philadelphia was diminished.
But with the return of reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid, they’ve won five straight and have a chance to take three more at home and enter the postseason on an eight-game winning streak. It remains to be seen if they will clinch the No. 6 seed in the conference or make the Play-In Tournament for the first time in franchise history. But with three games left, here are three storylines worth following:
De’Anthony Melton’s return looms
Melton missed 18 games in January and February with a back injury, returned for three games and aggravated the injury – which also bothered him last season. Melton has missed 21 more games since then, but on Monday night the Sixers listed him as QUESTIONABLE, not OUT, for their game against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night, indicating he could very well be back on the court.
When Melton initially went down, he was an invaluable piece of the puzzle: Melton started in every game he had appeared in up to that point and, if anything, was asked to do a little more than he should have. Now, with Tyrese Maxey and Kyle Lowry forming a formidable partnership as the Sixers’ starting backcourt, the Sixers can put Melton in a role similar to the one he thrived in last season: a third guard who can come off the bench, play starter-level minutes if needed, take on challenging perimeter defensive assignments and provide valuable three-point shooting off the catch.
Maxey has had several extended absences this season, and Lowry’s workload has been monitored since he arrived in Philadelphia. The Sixers looked to alternate solutions for answers: Cam Payne gave them solid minutes at times (and less solid minutes at times), and Jeff Dowtin Jr. served admirably as a two-way player before being converted to a standard NBA deal last week.
While the efforts of Payne and Dowtin have been satisfactory, neither player is one the team wants to rely on in the playoffs. When that time comes, rotations shorten and key players see their minutes increase. Maxey and Lowry starting with Melton and Buddy Hield as the guards coming off the bench is a significantly better setup than the Sixers have had at any point this season.
Will Tobias Harris remain a starter?
Tobias Harris played in 375 regular season games as a member of the Sixers. He has begun in every one of them.
But with him out for the past three games with a knee injury, the case for bringing Harris off the bench is getting stronger by the minute. While scoring is supposed to be Harris’ calling card, it’s almost arguable at this point that Kelly Oubre Jr. is more reliable in that department. Oubre is imperfect, but he has risen to the occasion almost every time the Sixers have needed him to change his role. Now he can be a dangerous third scoring option behind Embiid and Maxey.
Meanwhile, Nic Batum is starting to show again why he makes so much sense in the starting unit now that Embiid is back. Batum is the best passer coming into this team and arguably the best Embiid has ever played with, making him a seamless fit for the Sixers’ superstar center. He’s also a very good three-point shooter with an extremely quick release, and on top of that, he’s a high-level defender at multiple positions.
Putting Harris this late in the season could be a difficult maneuver, and fair or not, the Sixers need to account for their team’s morale. But at this point, it’s simply undeniable that on several occasions over the past few months, the Sixers have looked like they’re at their best when Harris isn’t on the floor. The ball moves better, the defense is more well-rounded and the star duo of Embiid and Maxey is optimized.
Will Ricky Council IV be available in the playoffs?
Council gave the Sixers a heroic effort in their double-overtime win over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night: After 36 minutes on the bench, the two-way wing played the entire fourth quarter and all 10 minutes of overtime, making several key plays on both ends of the floor for to help the Sixers run away with one of their most important wins of the season.
However, as things stand right now, the Arkansas rookie who captured the hearts of many fans is ineligible for the postseason. Two-way players must be converted to standard NBA deals before the end of the regular season to be allowed to play in the playoffs. The Sixers have already traded Dowtin, and with DJ Wilson’s 10-day contract expiring last Wednesday, they have another open NBA roster spot.
Signing Council to an NBA-standard deal to fill the final roster spot and make him playoff-eligible seems like an incredibly obvious decision to Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, head coach Nick Nurse and others.
Not only could Council serve as an emergency wing option if the Sixers are desperate for a spark, but he’s shown enough to prove he’s a genuine prospect with a legitimate chance to become an NBA regular. Not only should the Sixers prioritize getting a deal done to make Council eligible for the postseason, but they should try to secure a long-term deal so they can continue to develop him for years to come.
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