The Philadelphia 76ers are only as good as Josh Richardson

While Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons get all of the headlines, the Philadelphia 76ers are only as good as the production they receive from Josh Richardson

The Philadelphia 76ers could conceivably have three All-Stars in their starting five in Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Tobias Harris.

Heck, the Sixers already have three All-Stars in their starting five if you want to count Al Horford, who has appeared in five since 2010.

But in my view, the most important player to the team’s success in their starting five – maybe on their entire roster – is the least decorated among them: Josh Richardson.

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You see, despite being a glorified throw-in in Jimmy Butler’s sign and trade to South Beach back in June, Richardson has had games – emphasis on the S – where he’s been the Sixers’ unquestioned second-best player.

When he’s on, Richardson may be the Sixers’ most complete player, a 6-foot-6 point/shooting guard/small forward with good handles, great form, and even better defense. While he lacks the pure speed of the team’s last 6-foot-5 combo guard (more on how Markelle Fultz almost ruined the Sixers here), Richardson is the kind of player who could start for every team in the NBA at one position or another.

When fully engaged, Richardson can play the traditional shooting guard role. He can also flash shades of J.J. Redick in the two-five two-man game with Embiid. And most importantly of all, Richardson can take the ball out of Simmons’ hands and run the offense as an on-ball point.

But between a string of injuries and a few less than effective games, Richardson’s production has been far from guaranteed game in and game out.

In 26 games of action on the season, Richardson has scored in double-digits in all but seven but has only scored 20 or more in five games as of the time of publication. Richardson has been similarly unpredictable from beyond the arc, hitting an average of 35.4 percent from 3 on the season, but hitting more than three in a game only four times on the season.

And in a weird twist of fate, Richardson’s marquee games have not directly correlated with wins.

The Sixers are 2-3 on the season in games where Richardson scores 20 or more points and 3-3 in games where he hits three or more shots from 3. This may be because Richardson is at best the Sixers’ third offensive option in any given game, but it could also account for his inconsistent role in the offensive game plan.

That has to change as the playoffs approach.

Joel Embiid is the 76ers’ best all-around player. I know it, you know it, opposing teams know it. With the game on the line, teams are going to do everything in their power to stop Embiid.

Similarly, Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons have their own offensive misgivings and could be exposed by a wily statistician.

For better or worse, Richardson is never going to top an opposing team’s game plan, and therefore could be a certified scheme buster against an opponent heckbent on playing the Sixers as they please. If utilized correctly, over the course of months of in-game preparation, Richardson could become the 76ers’ secret weapon, and force opponents to stretch their resources even thinner to prepare for a four-headed offensive monster.

Next. How Markelle Fultz ruined the Philadelphia 76ers. dark

Simply put, Josh Richardson is a great all-around NBA player, but if he can become a great Philadelphia 76ers player on this weird, weird team, it will go a long way to making Brett Brown‘s squad even more formidable as a legitimate Eastern Conference contender. Consistency is king, especially for a player ducking behind a pair of headline-grabbing stars.