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Just one week ago, the narrative in Philadelphia was that the strong starting lineup, flanked by a productive bench had the team in a spot to seriously contend in the East. After three games (1-2) of their road trip, it’s apparent that there are issues here.
On Saturday against the Suns, the bench’s struggles continued.
“The bench hasn’t been bad this year, but it’s been bad lately,” coach Doc Rivers told FortyEightMinutes.com and other reporters via zoom from Phoenix. Rivers stressed that the offense wasn’t the biggest concern but rather, it was the unit’s defense.
Still, making a trade might be the only realistic solution and this team has some movable parts.
Danny Green gets thrown into every trade rumors because of his $15 million expiring salary, though he alone won’t bring back an upgrade at any spot. Matisse Thybulle is likely the player who possesses the most trade value of those truly available. Furkan Korkmaz is another asset who’s interesting because of his wide-ranging perceived value across the league, as I recently mentioned on an episode of Philly Voice’s The Middle (1:40:00 mark).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=12&v=YVyBib-BC68&feature=emb_logo
Philadelphia still sits atop the Eastern Conference, though the Nets and Bucks are both closing in and most analysts feel like this team simply doesn’t have what it takes to survive a seven-game series against either. Daryl Morey’s job is going to get a little tougher leading up to the trade deadline as figuring out exactly what this team is capable of and searching the trade market for the right deal becomes even more crucial.
More From Philadelphia
- Shake Milton (ankle) has no timetable to return. Doc Rivers told FortyEightMinutes and other reporters prior to the game that the guard is unlikely to play again during the team’s road trip.
- During the pre-game press conference, Rivers was asked to compare past defenders to Ben Simmons. His answers: Dennis Rodman and Scottie Pippen.
- Joel Embiid scored 35 against the Suns on Saturday. He’s now scored at least 30 points in 11-of-22 games.
