Over the past few seasons, Sixers games tended to follow a similar pattern. The starters would open up a giant lead, the bench would cough it up, and the starters would have to come back in and close the door on their opponent.
In 2022-23, the Sixers’ bench finally may be a strength, not a liability.
Two years ago, the starting lineup of Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Danny Green, Tobias Harris and Joel Embiid outscored opponents by a massive 16.0 points per 100 possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass, which ranked in the 82nd percentile league wide.