NBA playoffs 2022: Here’s what the Philadelphia 76ers must do to beat the Miami Heat without Joel Embiid

NBA

NBA playoffs is going to be the most exciting NBA season this year. The Miami Heat is going to the playoffs with an all-star team.

Let’s look at how the Sixers’ offense could alter now that James Harden will be playing without Embiid for the first time. Since moving to Philadelphia and how fast Embiid might return.

Without Embiid, how should NBA Philadelphia’s offense change?

Because of Embiid’s endurance this season, it’s impossible to anticipate how the 76ers will do without him. Harden has yet to play without Embiid. Having missed both games, Embiid sat out after the trade deadline.

It’s not difficult to foresee that NBA Philadelphia’s assault will be aesthetically different. Sixers can’t transfer possessions to whoever replaces Embiid. It is because of their unique ability to score in the post and out of isolation.

Instead, the perimeter three of Harden, Tyrese Maxey, and Tobias Harris will almost certainly get the most of them. Harris increased his scoring average per 36 minutes from 17.4 to 21.2, while Maxey’s risen from 16.2 to 24.8. NBA Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers enjoyed employing Paul Reed in the regular season. Against Toronto, after veterans, Paul Millsap and DeAndre Jordan proved ineffective as Embiid’s backups.

While In Embiid’s absence, Harden and Reed have established pick-and-roll chemistry, and Reed will play a crucial role. With Embiid out, Philly’s best bet could be to play small and spread the floor with Georges Niang at the center.

The 6-foot-7 Niang, admittedly, offers little resistance at the rim. This season, he set a career-best with 13 blocks. Rivers almost completely abandoned Niang at the 5.

According to a study of lineup data from NBA Advanced Stats, 72 of Niang’s 91 minutes as the Sixers’ center occurred in October and November.

When Harden and Maxey overcome their defenders in this series, Niang’s floor spacing might be crucial in allowing them to get to the basket. According to Second Spectrum monitoring, which measures how vigorously the Heat have defended the rim, opponents attempted a league-low 17.3 attempts per game in the restricted area.

Because the Heat doesn’t apply much pressure on the rim on offense, Niang at the center could be more appealing. According to Second Spectrum, their 18.2 restricted shot attempts per game were the fourth lowest in the NBA.

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