January 06, 2024
Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports
Patrick Beverley was the lone Sixer who was able to shine in Saturday night's loss to the Utah Jazz.
Looking to rebound after an uninspiring loss to the New York Knicks Friday night, the Sixers took the floor Saturday night against the Utah Jazz. The short-handed Sixers dropped their second game in a row, falling to Utah, 120-109.
Observations from the loss...
The Sixers woke up as a team that would enter this game short-handed. Tobias Harris (ankle), De'Anthony Melton (back) and Furkan Korkmaz (illness) were already ruled out due to injuries. Things took a turn for the worse when Robert Covington, who finally got over a knee ailment, was added to the injury report with an illness. He ended up being inactive as well.
And then, of course, was the biggest blow of them all: Joel Embiid, who is still nursing an ankle injury, popped up on the injury report a few hours before the game with left knee swelling. In an unsurprising development, Embiid was ruled out.
The Sixers entered the game without 60 percent of their typical starting lineup and without two of the players who would typically be in line for more minutes due to those absences, making this game an uphill battle before tip-off even occurred, even against a middling Jazz team.
The Jazz, who entered the night with a record of 16-20, are one of a handful of teams considering selling at the upcoming trade deadline. If they do elect to retool, they have several valuable pieces that the Sixers -- among others -- should be making calls about.
Jordan Clarkson is one of the league's best bench scorers, a true spark plug kind of player who can come in and provide a whole lot of offensive juice. He would fit like a glove on a Sixers team that could really use one more ball-handler and scoring threat on its roster.
Kelly Olynyk is one of the more underrated and well-rounded offensive bigs in the NBA right now. He has always been known for his ability to shoot the ball from beyond the arc, but he is also an excellent passer and facilitator who can help stabilize and organize an offense.
And then there is the dream target: All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen, whose sweet shooting stroke and masterful scoring arsenal make him a perfect fit in between Embiid and Maxey as the Sixers' third star. Markkanen has one more year left under contract after this one. He could very well remain in Utah long term, but if the team has a longer-term view in mind, they could look to capitalize on his trade value and move him in exchange for draft picks and/or young players. Don't expect Markkanen to be moved this year, but never say never.
With so many rotational pieces unavailable, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse had no choice but to give opportunities to some players who usually are not afforded them.
Nurse started Tyrese Maxey, Kelly Oubre Jr., Nic Batum, Marcus Morris Sr. and Paul Reed, and off the bench his rotation included Patrick Beverley -- a rotation regular -- and then three players whose playing time is fleeting: Mo Bamba, KJ Martin and Jaden Springer. Two-way players Terquavion Smith and Ricky Council IV were brought up for the game as well.
Each of the three fringe rotation players had their moments, but also had some plays which reminded why they are fringe pieces to begin with.
Bamba had a strong and-one, but failed to set proper screens for Beverley on multiple occasions, which frustrated the veteran point guard.
Martin had a pair of impressive dunks and was fine defensively, but his limitations as a shooter were exploited by Utah's defense.
Springer's athletic traits and defensive abilities are obvious, but his offensive limitations are just as visible. He missed three open corner threes in the first half alone.
An interesting development: Danuel House Jr., who has been the first wing off the bench oftentimes in recent weeks, was not part of the initial rotation whatsoever. House's athleticism and occasional shot-making keep him on the cusp of the rotation, but in a year-plus as a Sixer he has never quite been consistent enough to earn the trust of his coaching staffs.
As he seems to do in these contests where the Sixers enter severely undermanned, Beverley was excellent in this one, helping keep the Sixers afloat on both ends of the floor. Beverly scored a dozen points, dished out four assists and grabbed three rebounds in just the first half alone, while making five of his nine shots -- including two of his three tries from beyond the arc.
Beverley's play has really picked up of late. He is making a strong case that he is a rotation player whose spot in the lineup should be safe as the trade deadline nears.
The Sixers made a genuinely valiant effort in their attempt to take down a mediocre Utah team despite missing most of their key parts. But with such a talent discrepancy, the margin for error was just a bit too thin. A subpar Maxey performance combined with Beverley being the only Sixer to considerably outperform their typical numbers is not a recipe for success when Embiid is out. The Sixers are 23-12.
