There is no way around it: the last two-plus months of Sixers basketball have been laborious. The injuries have been as plentiful as they have been significant, their standing in the Eastern Conference has been harmed tremendously and a lot of confidence in the team across the city of Philadelphia has waned.
But since the return of reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid, they have won five straight contests, and have the chance to take three more at home and enter the postseason on an eight-game winning streak. Whether they will nab the conference's No. 6 seed or are entered into the Play-In Tournament for the first time in franchise history remains to be seen. But with three games left on the docket, here are three storylines worth following:
De'Anthony Melton's return looming
Melton missed 18 games across January and February with a back injury, returned for three games and aggravated the injury — which also bothered him last season. Melton has missed an additional 21 games since then, but on Monday evening the Sixers listed him as QUESTIONABLE, not OUT, for their matchup with the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night, indicating he could very well make his return to the floor.
When Melton initially went down, he was an invaluable piece of the puzzle: Melton started in every game he had participated in to that point and, if anything, was being asked to do a bit more than he should have been. Now, with Tyrese Maxey and Kyle Lowry forming a terrific partnership as the Sixers' starting backcourt, the Sixers can slot Melton into a role resembling the one he thrived in last season: a third guard who can come off the bench, play starter-level minutes if needed, take on challenging defensive assignments on the perimeter and provide valuable three-point shooting off the catch.
Maxey has had a few extended absences this season and Lowry's workload has been monitored ever since he arrived in Philadelphia. The Sixers have looked to alternative solutions for answers: Cam Payne has given them solid minutes at times (and less solid minutes at other times), and Jeff Dowtin Jr. served admirably as a two-way player before being converted to a standard NBA deal last week.
While the efforts of Payne and Dowtin have been satisfactory, neither player is one a team wants to rely on in the playoffs. When that time comes, rotations shorten and key players see their minutes increase. Maxey and Lowry starting with Melton and Buddy Hield as guards coming off the bench is a considerably better setup than the Sixers have had an any point this season.
Will Tobias Harris remain a starter?
Tobias Harris has played in 375 regular season games as a member of the Sixers. He has started in every single one of them.
But, amid his absence over the last three games with a knee injury, the case to bring Harris off the bench has grown stronger by the minute. While scoring is supposed to be Harris' calling card, it is almost unquestionable at this point that Kelly Oubre Jr. is more reliable in that department. Oubre is imperfect, but he has risen to the occasion just about every single time the Sixers have needed his role to shift. Now, he can be a dangerous tertiary scoring option behind Embiid and Maxey.
Meanwhile, Nic Batum is once again beginning to display why he makes so much sense in the starting unit now that Embiid has returned. Batum is the best post entry passer on this team, and maybe the best one Embiid has ever played with, making him a seamless fit with the Sixers' superstar center. He is also a very good three-point shooter with an extremely quick release, and to top it all off, he is a high-level defender across several positions.
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Benching Harris this late in the season could be a tricky maneuver, and fair or not, the Sixers must account for the morale of their team. But it is simply undeniable at this point that, on several occasions over the last few months, the Sixers have looked like they are at their absolute best when Harris is not on the floor. The ball moves better, the defense is more well-rounded and the All-Star duo of Embiid and Maxey is optimized.
Will Ricky Council IV be available in the playoffs?
Council gave the Sixers a heroic effort in their double-overtime victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday evening: after 36 minutes of sitting on the bench, the two-way wing played the entirety of the fourth quarter and all 10 minutes of overtime, making several pivotal plays on both ends of the floor to help the Sixers escape with one of their most crucial victories of the season.
However, as things currently stand, the rookie out of Arkansas who has captured the hearts of many fans is not eligible to participate in the postseason. Two-way players must be converted to standard NBA deals before the end of the regular season in order to be allowed to suit up in the playoffs. The Sixers already converted Dowtin, and with the expiration of DJ Wilson's 10-day contract last Wednesday, they have one more NBA roster spot open.
Signing Council to a standard NBA deal to fill that final roster spot and making him eligible for the playoffs seems like an incredibly obvious decision for Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey, head coach Nick Nurse and co.
Not only can Council serve as an emergency wing option if the Sixers are desperate for a spark, but he has shown enough to prove that he is a genuine prospect with a legitimate chance of becoming an NBA regular. The Sixers should not only prioritize getting a deal done to make Council eligible for the postseason, but they should attempt to secure a long-term deal so that they can continue to develop him for years to come.
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