Three Normal Playoff Things: Sixers Vs. Wizards Game Two
We’re working through the first round.
Adam Aaronson, whose legal name is Sixers Adam (@SixersAdam on Twitter), covers the Sixers for The Rights To Ricky Sanchez. He has been legally banned from covering the team in person, and when that ban was set to be lifted, Covid-19 struck. He believes cantaloupe is the best food in existence, and is brought to you by the Official Realtor of The Process, Adam Ksebe.
Good evening and welcome back to Three Normal Things. Here’s what jumped out to me tonight during Game 2 between the Sixers and Wizards:
#1: Ben Simmons leverages his size
After Game 1, I wrote about why this series could provide some massive advantages for the Sixers, particularly on behalf of Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris. With the Wizards employing a small three-guard starting lineup and having little wing strength off their bench, Harris and Simmons will frequently enjoy individual matchups against much smaller players.
In Game 1, Harris scored 28 first-half points, thanks in large part to his assertiveness. Here’s what I wrote afterwards.
“Ben Simmons did not do anything special offensively today, save for a few ridiculous passes. But the same way Harris is seeing enticing matchups, Simmons has the chance to assert himself throughout this series. He is mostly being defended by guards -- namely, Russell Westbrook -- and he should leverage his height and strength advantages to get to the rim at will.”
Well, that’s what Ben did immediately upon the start of tonight’s game. Simmons scored 12 points on 6-8 shooting in the first quarter alone. On the first possession of the game, he bullied Westbrook down low and scored an easy bucket. How Ben looked early on is how he should look for the rest of this series. When you’ve got more than half a foot and a lot of pounds on your defender, go at them.
#2: George Hill fitting in perfectly
I was as big a proponent of Hill as anyone when the Sixers acquired him from Oklahoma City, but I must admit that he was a bit disappointing during the regular season. He wasn’t providing any sort of juice offensively, making his inclusion in the rotation a bit redundant.
Recently, though, Hill seemingly found a different mode that he can play in -- and luckily, this one is a much better fit for the Sixers.
Hill was really only providing spot-up shooting earlier in his Sixers tenure. And while he is excellent there, he wasn’t giving the team anything off the dribble. That’s where things continue to change, as he is game by game becoming more assertive with the ball in his hands, frequently and successfully attacking closeouts, finding cutters and knocking down self-created jumpers.
I continue to believe that at the highest levels of playoff basketball, it will behoove the Sixers to go with Hill over Seth Curry in high-leverage situations. Hill is not the shooter Curry is, but he is a very good one in his own right and is much more capable of staying alive defensively. Tonight was another successful stepping stone towards that future for Hill.
#3: Shook Milton
Shake Milton had a rough go in Game 1, and unfortunately tonight was no different. He barely saw the court tonight after once again struggling mightily. Milton, whose confidence is essential to his success, simply does not look the way he did for most of the regular season.
Milton is a streaky player to some extent, so the good news is that we’ve seen him struggle and then regain the scoring ability that makes him such a valuable bench piece. But in the playoffs, you don’t have time to mess around until you figure things out.
Tyrese Maxey took Milton’s late-third quarter to early-fourth quarter stint tonight, which could be a sign of things to come. As good as Shake has been at his best, the Sixers can’t afford to wait around for him.