76ers Players Who Must Step Up in 2nd Round of NBA Playoffs vs. Hawks
Survive and advance.
For all of the different descriptors attached to the NBA playoffs, that's the goal—simple as it sounds. That's exactly what the Philadelphia 76ers did in the opening round, dispatching the eighth-seeded Washington Wizards in five games despite playing without All-Star center Joel Embiid for much of Game 4 and all of Game 5.
The Atlanta Hawks and professional net-shredder Trae Young are up next. If the Sixers were hoping for a chance to exhale, this isn't it. The Hawks might not be on the level of the Brooklyn Nets or the Milwaukee Bucks, but they're a handful to deal with. Just ask the New York Knicks, who were ousted by them in five games.
If the matchup wasn't challenging enough on its own, the Sixers also have the uncertainty of Embiid hanging over their heads. The big man suffered a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee, and while he won't need surgery, coach Doc Rivers told reporters, "I can't give you a timeline."
With Embiid potentially unavailable or playing at less than 100 percent, Philadelphia needs its supporting cast to deliver. The following three players in particular loom as major keys in the second-round tussle with Atlanta.
Seth Curry
1 of 3
With the Sixers entering Wednesday's elimination game without Embiid, Ben Simmons told sharpshooter Seth Curry the club needed 30 points out of him. The fire-baller delivered exactly that, netting an even 30 points on 10-of-17 shooting, going 3-of-6 from distance and a perfect 7-of-7 at the stripe.
"Clearly Seth listens to Ben so we're going to use Ben as a translator for Seth from this point forward," Rivers told reporters.
It's a great anecdote—maybe an all-timer if Philly caps this playoff run with a world title—but it also speaks to Curry's importance on this team.
The 30-year-old is one of the primary three-point threats on a team that has been undone by a lack of spacing during previous postseason trips. He ranked second on the team with 2.2 triples per night and posted an eye-opening 45 percent splash rate from distance.
The Sixers will need a lot more of that in this series. The Hawks figure to wall off the paint and dare Philly to beat them from distance, the same strategy that just caused the Knicks' offense to malfunction.
Curry will be critical in punishing that scheme by capitalizing on his open shots. If he has it going, Philadelphia not only has an ignitable safety valve, but it also has a shooting threat potent enough to help unclog the middle for Simmons and (hopefully) Embiid to attack.
Tobias Harris
2 of 3
This season, Embiid cemented himself as one of the league's most unstoppable forces. That allowed Tobias Harris to nestle in as the No. 2 option and select his spots in a way that made him as efficient as ever.
His 19.5 points per game were the third-most he's ever averaged. His 51.2 field-goal percentage was the highest he's ever hit, and his 39.4 three-point percentage easily outpaced his career rate of 39.4.
The role fit the 28-year-old like a pair of skinny jeans. He was as decisive with the basketball as ever, launching shots when he had daylight and moving the basketball when he didn't.
But if the Sixers don't have the soul-snatching version of Embiid, then they'll need Harris to increase his assertiveness without sacrificing the efficiency. He's the biggest off-the-bounce threat they have outside of the big fella, as his three-level arsenal shows few discernible weak spots.
Still, his numbers can sometimes fluctuate. That's not a big deal when Embiid is leading the charge, but it could be a major one if Philadelphia is forced to scramble to find a focal point.
Ben Simmons
3 of 3
The Sixers built their roster around two stars.
Critics might try labeling Simmons as something less than that—his lack of outside shooting makes him as polarizing as anyone of his stature—but you can't knock the credentials. He's been an All-Star each of the past three seasons, and in 2019-20, he was an All-Defensive first-teamer and All-NBA third-teamer.
Look past the shooting woes, and you'll find elite defensive versatility, high-level distributing skills and silky smooth finishing around the basket. When everything clicks, it's magical, like his 19-point, 11-dime, 10-board triple-double on Wednesday night.
But the 24-year-old can seemingly float through possessions and sometimes entire games on offense. He had 10 games this season with single-digit points. Incredibly, he had 30 with single-digit shot attempts.
Simmons can't be passive against the Hawks, who are potent enough to put up big numbers even against a defense as stingy as this. He'll also need to extinguish fires all over the defensive end of the floor, doing everything from pestering Young on the perimeter to battling Clint Capela on the interior. He also has to keep the offense flowing with his ball movement.
He's often at his best when flashing his Swiss Army knife skills in a complementary role alongside Embiid. But if the big guy can't get on the floor or is not his usual self, the Sixers need Simmons to look the part of a two-way star.
