The Philadelphia 76ers' reserves falter, lacking creation and scoring punch, while the Boston Celtics deep bench dominates, exposing a critical weakness for the Sixers.
Analyst Joe DeCamara calling the Sixers' bench the "worst Sixers' playoff bench" he's ever seen sounded harsh, but the line has fit the way this series has played out.
Philadelphia's second unit averaged 32.4 points per game during the regular season, yet it has struggled to produce in the playoffs, including just 14 in Game 3 and 24 in Game 4 against Boston. The Sixers simply do not have the reserve scoring to change a game on its own.
The bigger problem is not just scoring but self-creation. While Quentin Grimes can create open looks at times, this isn't the case for nearly everyone else on the bench. Domonick Barlow provides energy and does all of the little things well, but he is a play finisher at most on offense.
Adem Bona does a great job protecting the paint, but he lacks any real skill to speak of offensively and lacks the touch to be an elite finisher at the rim. Justin Edwards is a great floor spacer but does not do well when you ask him to put the ball on the floor.
This matters in a playoff series because when the second unit cannot generate its own offense, the burden shifts even more to the starters, especially Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and Paul George. In Game 4, those three accounted for most of the damage, with Embiid scoring 26, Maxey 22, and George 16 in the 128-96 loss.
Boston, on the other hand, has a wealth of depth and options. The Celtics scored 36.8 points per game, and they backed that up in Game 4 with a 62-point bench performance. Payton Pritchard's 32 points off the bench gave Boston an additional scoring option that Philadelphia could not match.
That is why the Sixers' bench criticism has some validity to it. It is not just that the points are missing; it is that the group lacks any real creation ability when the stars sit. When that happens, the starters have to be much better instead of having secondary options that can step up when the stars aren't having the best night.
Against Boston, this is a formula that won't lead to long-term success.
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Wes Dixon is a contributing writer to 76ersRoundtable. He can be reached at dixonwesley286@gmail.com.