The Philadelphia 76ers lost their 43rd game of the season on Wednesday, March 12. They fell to the Toronto Raptors, 105-118, with the three-point line being a significant swing factor throughout the night.
As a collective, the Sixers shot just 7-of-35 from deep, which is a 20% conversion rate. On the flip side, the Raptors hit 16 of their 40 attempts, doubling the Sixers’ success rate in the process.
During his postgame news conference, head coach Nick Nurse discussed the impact his team’s poor perimeter shooting had on the game.
“My takeaways are that the three-point line was a humongous difference tonight,” Nurse said. “After the first quarter, I thought we did a decent job of getting the ball out to open shooters. We went a long time without hitting any, but then we hit three in a row, three in a row, and ended up with seven for the game, is a lot of dry spells in there from three. That really is the difference.”
In fairness to the Sixers, they were missing Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George. Without their star trio, the roster’s limited depth was on full display, making it easy for the Raptors to take advantage.
Sixers Must Improve Front Court Depth
In a March 2 article for ESPN, long-time analyst Kevin Pelton pinpointed the Sixers’ front court as an area that needs improvement this summer.
“Although depth wasn’t the primary reason for Philadelphia’s failure, it disappointed nonetheless,” Pelton wrote on March 2. “Backup centers Andre Drummond and Adem Bona haven’t provided the cover the 76ers expected behind Embiid, and Caleb Martin wasn’t the strong role player Philadelphia expected. As a result, the Sixers have given more than 3,500 minutes to players my metric rates below replacement level this season, the league’s eighth-highest total.”
Philadelphia has endured a season to forget, despite heavy investment this past summer. As such, Daryl Morey will likely ring the changes during the offseason. Sixers fans will undoubtedly be hoping that front court improvements are part of his overall plan.
Sixers Paul George Likely to Play When Healthy
George is currently out of the Sixers rotation due to a groin strain. However, despite fans calling for the All-Star forward to be shut down for the remainder of the season, it would appear Nurse wants his star to play when healthy.
“We want them to play if they’re able to play, right?,” Nurse recently told the media. “For me, the medical people tell me if they’re good. … I think, at the end of the third the other night, he just wasn’t able to continue. So that kind of stuff happens too, and I just take my directions from them.”
George hasn’t hit the heights most Sixers fans were expecting. In 41 appearances, he’s averaging 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists, shooting 43% from the field and 35.8% from deep.
At 34 years old, with a significant injury history, Nurse may be wise to give George time to rest ahead of next season, especially if the front office wants to run things back with the current star trio.
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