Can the Sixers Remain Competitive?

By Kevin McCormick, Sports Talk Philly Editor

The Sixers have been placed behind the eight ball for this final stretch of the regular season. During Sunday’s game against the Clippers, Josh Richardson left with an injury that was later diagnosed as a concussion. He will now join Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid on the sidelines for the coming weeks. 

Josh Richardson also has a concussion. He has been entered into concussion protocol. Another update expected tomorrow.

— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) March 1, 2020

This now puts the Sixers down three starters, a situation no team wants to see themselves in. With no timetable for any of these players set in stone, it begs the question if this team will still be able to compete. 

If Sunday’s showing against the Clippers is any sign of how this team is going to play then fans should remain optimistic. The Sixers took the Clippers the distance on the road and fought until the very end. Although they ended up losing the game, the fight they showed was still a great sign. 

Although this team is down a handful of stars, they still have the talent to win games. Tobias Harris has played good basketball all season and he is going to have to keep it up to keep the Sixers in the mix. He was the number one option for the Clippers last season, so the pressure of being the top guy is nothing new to him. 

The Sixers signed Al Horford for situations like this. He was looked at to be a form of “Embiid insurance” to hold down the frontcourt if the big man was to miss time. He now has the chance to play center full-time, where he has looked much better. Horford has had his critics for the way he has played after the deal he signed over the summer, now is his chance to show why he deserves the money he got. 

One thing going for the Sixers is their schedule. After Tuesday’s game against the Lakers, the Sixers will see a rather easy stretch of games. This can potentially be a boost for the team as it’s a chance to pick up some easy wins while they hold the fort down without the superstars. 

Playoff seeding is still not set in stone. The Sixers could still possibly move up one or two spots in the standings if they can go on a nice run. They are going to need the supporting cast to step up greatly. Guys like Shake Milton, Furkan Korkmaz, Alec Burks, and Glenn Robinson III. 

It is not going to be easy trying to survive without the services of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. But if the team can continue to show the fight that they showed on Sunday and embrace the “next man up” mentality, they certainly have a chance to keep this team afloat.