Scouting the Sixers’ final eight regular-season games
The Philadelphia 76ers vs. the Phoenix Suns
Alright, I’m going to call it right now: The Pheonix Suns are the Philadelphia 76ers’ easiest opponent they’ll face this summer.
Like the Wizards, the Suns are a bit better than many fans may assume based on their history, but they too are a one-player team who haven’t found particular success with that player in 2020.
As you can probably assume, Devin Booker is still getting his with regularity in 2019-20, but his team’s record didn’t really reflect his 26.1 points per game average, as their 26 wins are the second-worst of any team left in the NBA’s effective buy-in tournament.
Some may call this matchup a trap game, as the Suns effectively have to win out their eight-game tournament to even have a chance at the playoffs, but frankly, I don’t see it that way. In the NBA, especially in the break-neck fast-break to the playoffs, the better team usually wins, and the 76ers are without a doubt a better team than the Suns, even if their head coach, Monty Williams, knows Brett Brown’s system inside and out.
The Sixers are certainly susceptible to getting beat by explosive offensive guards, but when a team only really has a first option, that becomes a lot easier to defend. Give me Kelly Oubre Jr. versus Tobias Harris any day of the week.