Every NBA schedule has ebbs and flows. Each team has stretches where the schedule is fond of them, and each team has stretches in which they are dealt a tough hand. Consider the upcoming week the latter for the Sixers, who play three games against three taxing opponents.
The Sixers host LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday evening, before hitting the road and facing the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday and the Boston Celtics on Friday. One could argue that across the three games, the Sixers will have to deal with at least six All-Star-caliber players, between James, Davis, Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
It will be a particularly challenging week for the Sixers' wing and front-court players, like Tobias Harris, Nic Batum and Robert Covington, who will all be tasked with defending some of the league's best wing-sized players. James, Williamson, Ingram, Tatum and Brown all fit that bill, and all present different problems for an opposing defense.
James is officially listed as questionable for Monday night's matchup with a lingering calf injury that has not prevented him from playing in the Lakers' last handful of games. Davis, coming off a strong, 32-point and 13-rebound showing against Cleveland's strong front line on Saturday, makes for a unique challenge for Joel Embiid, who has typically gotten the best of the Lakers' big man. Davis is a remarkable player and athlete, but he gives up a strength advantage to Embiid that the reigning NBA MVP has often used to exploit him.
At this juncture, the Lakers and Sixers are in some ways constructed similarly. Both teams are built around two stars, and both teams seek to win with their depth, thanks to a slew of valuable role players who fit in nicely alongside the franchise centerpieces. For the Lakers, players like Austin Reaves, D'Angelo Russell, Taurean Prince, Cam Reddish (questionable) and Christian Wood should be featured heavily Monday night.
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Assuming James plays, several Sixers will get a crack at guarding him. But one downside of no longer having PJ Tucker is that there is no single obvious candidate for that assignment. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse, however, has expressed happiness with the amount and quality of options he has at his disposal on the wing.
Batum, Harris and Covington are all quality wing defenders. Danuel House Jr. is a capable defensive player against smaller wings. Kelly Oubre Jr. was a solid option against some very good offensive players before suffering a rib fracture. So, while there may be no lone stopper on this roster, Nurse is able to mix and match to a pretty staggering degree thanks to the volume of quality defenders on the roster.
These same challenges apply for the entire week. Nurse may opt to open with Batum guarding James and Williamson, for example, due to his size and strength, which make him the ideal matchup for bruising players like them. Covington's length also makes him a viable candidate against James. Against someone like Ingram, who is more of a finesse player, you could see House or even Patrick Beverley try to get up in his body and be disruptive physically. Harris may be first to guard Tatum, who he has often defended in recent matchups between the Sixers and Celtics.
Beverley could figure into Nurse's plans more than one might imagine thanks to his fearlessness defensively as a player who guards well above his size. During his introductory media availability in July, Beverly shrugged off his rare ability to guard up.
"I just go out there and be me,'" Beverley said. "I'm a basketball player, you can put me out there on anybody and I'm going to play basketball and I'm going to play well and I'm going to find a way to impact winning and lead the team. That just comes with the nature of the beast in the NBA."
"I swear to God, I wish I was 6-5... Mom, I wish you would've found a guy that was a little taller than Dad!"
Every team would love to have one shutdown defensive player on the wing. But it doesn't hurt to have a whole bunch of good players instead.
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