Philadelphia 76ers: 5 Things To Watch Against Minnesota

The Philadelphia 76ers will square up against a promising young Minnesota Timberwolves on national TV.

There is a feeling of excitement for this game. The Philadelphia 76ers will put their stud rookies in Joel Embiid and Dario Saric to square off against Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. The two teams are amongst the league’s most promising, with top prospects flooding both rosters.

The Philadelphia 76ers decided to rest Embiid in the team’s second victory against the Washington Wizards to put him in the national spotlight against a young big man that rivals him in all-around talent. The game is sure to bring excitement, despite both teams expected to miss the playoffs.

There is a lot for Sixers fans to keep their eye on in this game, so let’s go through the 5 most important.

1. Embiid vs. Towns

Of course. Embiid is the only reason many watch the Philadelphia 76ers play in the first place. Now, put him up against the reigning Rookie of the Year who plays the same position and you have the potential for greatness. Embiid and Towns will work each other in the paint, and I’d expect mixed results for both players.

Towns will defend Embiid closer on the perimeter than anyone has at this point. He will be the most mobile center Embiid has taken on up to this point, and the most versatile one as well. Towns has decent passing ability and can hit the outside shot, which will test Embiid’s ability to defend the outside.

2. How They Defend Wiggins

Andrew Wiggins has had an impressive start to the season. He’s averaging 26.6 points per game on 54.1% from the outside. His ability to finish around the rim is now matched by his outside shot, making him a difficult player to defend.

First thought goes to Robert Covington, who despite his inability to break out of his shooting slump, is the team’s most consistent defender. If not Covington, than Gerald Henderson. They must force Wiggins to commit to tough drives around the rim. Wiggins is finishing 70.5% at the rim, but putting emphasis on Embiid’s shot blocking ability will prove to be more effective than giving up good looks around the outside.

Forcing him to step in and take mid-range shots will also have to be in the game plan, which will require smart defensive rotations, something the Sixers have struggled with.

3. Jahlil Okafor Continuing Success Against Towns

For all the struggles Jahlil Okafor faced throughout his first season in the NBA, Towns wasn’t one of them. Okafor squared off against Towns and dropped 25 points on him in the first matchup last season. This time around he will be on a 16-minute restriction, but he could still provide that offensive relief off the bench.

Okafor has started this season inconsistently, but with a big performance in the win against Washington, he will look to mimic that success in the limited time.

4. Robert Covington’s Outside Shooting

Covington has been struggling from the outside this season, and that’s not a secret. His uncharacteristic 27.1% from the outside has bogged down the Philadelphia 76ers’ offense at times. What is promising is the fact that the Timberwolves are in the bottom half of defending the 3-point shot.

Covington can really serve as an X-factor for this offense, and if things start to click for him this offense will be more difficult to defend.

5. Ben Simmons‘ Twitter

Ben Simmons, much like Embiid, is very active on Twitter. Recently, he has taken to twitter when teammate Nik Stauskas started to heat up.

With Nik Stauskas’ hot shooting and attacking mentality following him to Minnesota, expect to see some more Sauce content coming from Simmons.

Next: NBA Big Board 2.0

As the Philadelphia 76ers try to push themselves towards an unlikely 3-9 record, the night should bring excitement and intrigue with many storylines in play. Embiid and Wiggins’ relationship at Kansas, Towns vs. Embiid, Okafor vs. Towns. All of it lines the night up for a great game on national tv.