Philadelphia 76ers: Thank the Hive, Mike Scott is finally out of his slump

Rest easy #MikeScottHive, it looks like your titular player has worked his way out of a season-long slump in the Philadelphia 76ers’ blowout win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

For the longest time, I feared the day I would have to write something to the effect of: “Philadelphia 76ers: Mike Scott is playing bad, right?”

Call it wishful thinking that The Threegional Manager would turn things around, or a healthy fear of a small, but very vocal segment of the Sixers fanbase – dubbed the ‘Mike Scott Hive’ – coming after me on Twitter, but thankfully, both my conscience and my Twitter mentions will be clear this evening because Scott’s season-long slump is officially over.

Ok, ok, it was just one game – an absolute decimation of the Cleveland Cavaliers on the back of Ben Simmons‘ best basketball performance ever – but why not be a little optimistic around the holidays?

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Inserted into the starting lineup for the first time this season, Scott put up 21 points on 3-5 from 3 point range – shattering his previous season-high of 17 by the third quarter.

For those keeping track at home, that’s 21 more points than Scott scored in the Sixers’ ugly loss to the Washington Wizards.

Scott also played solid defense wedged in between Tobias Harris and Al Horford in Brett Brown‘s starting five, providing plus switchability while hauling in six rebounds.

And most importantly, Scott got his swagger back.

For as impactful as the 6-foot-7 Virginia Cavaliers product can be on the court as a 3-and-D wing, his bombastic personality and effortless suave has proven just as valuable to his teammates and the fanbase as a whole.

I mean, how many other bench scorers – even certified sixth men – have their own Twitter-centric fan clubs, let alone a few oft-quoted catchphrases? Two? Just Lou Williams?

I digress.

Had Scott continued to struggle as the Sixers’ top bench scorer, falling behind the likes of Furkan Korkmaz, Raul Neto, and *gasp* Matisse Thybulle it wouldn’t have been too long until his name started to pop up in trade conversations, as his $4.76 cap hit could make or break a potential trade for a more apt scorer, but fortunately that now feels like a premature lapse in judgment.

After less than a year as a citizen of the City of Brotherly Love, Scott as firmly established himself as a true blue Philadelphian and truly Philadelphians’ don’t give up on their own when they struggle – just ask the Philadelphia Eagles. Sure, he had a stretch for a month or two from the 3 point line, but who doesn’t?

Ben Simmons didn’t take a 3 pointer until he signed a max contract, and fans have suddenly welcomed him into their hearts in a lighting fast heel-turn: It doesn’t take much to capture Philly’s heart.

Next. The Philadelphia 76ers should target Allonzo Trier in a Knicks fire sale. dark

Now to be fair, we may have to put a wee bit of a grain of salt atop this return to form performance, as it did come against the worst team in the NBA, but why be so negative? As far as I’m concerned, Mike Scott is back to his old self, and ready to elevate the Philadelphia 76ers bench to a new level – that is when he’s not moonlighting as a starter in Joel Embiid‘s absence.