The current version of the 76ers pulled off a thrilling victory over the NBA-title contending Golden State Warriors on Saturday night.
Joel Embiid was his usual dominant self, scoring nine of his game-high 26 points in the fourth quarter of the 102-93 victory at the Wells Fargo Center. As impressive as Embiid has been, the Sixers (15-12) will still struggle to go far in the postseason.
That's because they don't have a consistent second scoring option. Tobias Harris, Seth Curry, and Tyrese Maxey are the best internal candidates to assume that role.
All three have had solid offensive games while playing with Embiid. They just haven't been consistent.
That can be attributed to simply having off nights, succumbing to defensive schemes, or not getting enough touches. Regardless of the reason, Embiid has emerged as the only dependable offensive option. And on most nights, the four-time All-Star has to play at a high level in order for the Sixers to win.
A prime example was Monday night's 127-124 overtime victory over the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center.
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Last season, Harris benefitted from playing with Ben Simmons, who often got him the ball in good spots. Without the disgruntled point guard, who wants to be traded, Harris has had to work harder to get shots.
Ideally, the second option to pair with Embiid would be a perimeter player who creates his own shot and closes out games. The Sixers haven't had that type of player since Jimmy Butler during the 2018-19 season. Back then, Harris thrived as the third or fourth option, depending on the scenario.
He would be better suited as the third or fourth option on a championship-caliber team.
But on this roster, he's the second option even though his shot attempts fluctuate.
Here are two typical cases: He took 22 shots against the Indiana Pacers on Nov. 13 only to get nine shots three days later against the Jazz.
Golden State Warriors have high praise for the Sixers' Joel Embiid
Then after shooting 20 times versus the Orlando Magic on Nov. 29, Harris took only 11 shots two nights later in Boston when Embiid struggled during a one-point loss.
He took nine shots on Saturday.
In regards to Maxey, the second-year point guard can get his own shot and is averaging 16.5 points. However, he played better when Embiid was sidelined with COVID. Maxey had been mostly indecisive and only averaged 9.6 points and shot 21-for-65 (32.3%) in his first six games since Embiid's return.
A lot of Maxey's high-scoring performances while Embiid was sidelined nine games were out of necessity. At the time, the Sixers were undermanned due to COVID and other injuries. Now with the season-opening starting lineup intact, he's gone back to being a role player.
Best and worst from Sixers-Warriors: Joel Embiid's dominant second half, Matisse Thybulle's stellar D and more
Right now, there are two approaches to beating the Sixers.
Some teams will try to double- and triple-team Embiid. Others will try to let him score and take his teammates out of games. So his teammates, especially Harris, Curry, and Maxey, must be ready to step up and produce every night. And that hasn't been the case.
The Sixers would ideally get a consistent second option in exchange for Simmons in a trade, and things are starting to ramp up on that front. Teams are starting to put feelers out there in advance to Wednesday, the first day this summer's newly signed free agents can be traded. That time frame provides a bigger pool of potential trade partners.
So we'll have to wait and see what happens.
Right now, the Sixers can enjoy Saturday night's thrilling victory thanks in large part to another huge performance from Embiid. Matisse Thybulle also did a cosmic job of defending Steph Curry, blocking two of his shots and not giving him room to breathe. Reserve center Andre Drummond also had a solid game. He finished with nine points on 4-for-5 shooting to go with nine rebounds and two steals.
But, the Sixers don't have the consistent second scorer needed to make a deep postseason run.
