Perhaps the biggest benefit of the Philadelphia 76ers signing Al Horford this summer was how they could strengthen their performance whenever Joel Embiid is on the bench. It was a major weakness for the Sixers last season, but Horford is turning it into a strength.
Until facing the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, the starting five had dominated, posting a +21.3 net rating (with a 110 offensive rating and 88.7 defensive rating) in nine games and 102 minutes together. On Tuesday, the Sixers' starters struggled — they were a -11 in just over 10 minutes.