We are a little under halfway through the NBA regular season, which has given us a decent sample size for teams and how they should adjust. Right now the biggest adjustment for the Sixers is adding to the bench.
The second unit is in dire need of a scoring guard off the bench who can create their own shot, and be able to facilitate. But could there be another adjustment that this team should make?
The starting lineup for the Sixers has been very polarizing against certain opponents. With that being said, should Brett Brown considering making adjustments to the starting five?
Four of the starters are locks, but there is one tweak that could be made. I think that the fifth started should be different based on the opponent.
In the offseason, the Sixers doubled down on creating a long and large starting five. Which has shown to be a good move as the size seemed to be too much for Giannis and the Bucks, who are the main team in the Sixers’ way of representing the Eastern Conference in the finals this season.
There have been games where this team has struggled partially due to the personnel and size of the starting five. Which is why changing the starting five at times could help with this group.
When the Sixers are facing a smaller team who likes to play fast, Furkan Korkmaz should be the fifth starter over Al Horford. Tobias Harris can slide to the power forward position and Furkan could be a floor-spacing wing alongside Ben Simmons and Josh Richardson.
Sliding Korkmaz into the starting lineup would help with three-point shooting, would give Joel Embiid more room to work in the paint, and would open the lane more for Ben Simmons and Josh Richardson to attack.
Al Horford could also run the second unit, which has struggled at times. Horford could be the guy that can go get a bucket when the bench needs it, and he could also facilitate the offense when surrounded with shooters like James Ennis, Matisse Thybulle (when back from injury), Mike Scott, and Trey Burke.
We saw on Christmas day that Al Horford is going to be valuable for this team moving forward, but there have been times where he has struggled with this starting lineup. Which is why Brett should consider adjusting the lineup based on the opponent for the rest of the regular season.
