Philadelphia 76ers: An Al Horford starting five is inescapable

Al Horford always finds a way back into the Philadelphia 76ers’ starting five.

It pains me, pains me to write this, but at this point, I have no choice: The Philadelphia 76ers need to name Al Horford their third starter.

*sigh* I know, I hate it too, but how many times can the Sixers try something different, only for it to go wrong? I mean, think about it, the first time the 34-year-old, five-time former All-Star was relegated to the bench, Ben Simmons suffered a scary back injury against the Milwaukee Bucks that would have held him out of the regular season had it continued on as planned.

Then, after watching Joel Embiid suffer a sprained shoulder in a late-February loss to the lowly Cleveland Cavaliers, Horford was kicked inside to center, where he played for the remainder of the pre-pandemic regular-season save the team’s final game against the Detroit Pistons.

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The team’s record without Embiid and Simmons in March? That’d be 1-4.

So, fast-forward to the morning of the 76ers’ Wednesday night Wizards soiree, it should have been obvious that something was going to happen to change Brett Brown’s plans and get Philly’s favorite chocolate milk enthusiast back in the game as a starter, right? I mean Horford was far and away the Sixers’ most efficient player in their previous game, recording a +17 despite only putting up nine points and six rebounds in 32 minutes of action, so clearly he was the reason for the win over the San Antonio Spurs, right?

Coach Brown should have known better than to give Horford’s starting role to Simmons; he made him a marked man.

Horford also had a positive +/- in the 76ers’ most recent win before Simmons suffered his last injury. Coincidence? You tell me, you tell me.

The Sixers start Glen Robinson III over Horford, and he gets hurt. The Sixers start Simmons at power forward, Horford’s former spot, and he gets hurt too. Heck, Mike Scott, the Sixers’ lone reserve power forward, hasn’t appeared in a game since the NBA season restarted on August 1st, leaving even fewer bodies to soak up minutes in the paint when Embiid and Horford are off the court.

Dear Grand Floridian’s staff, please keep Norvel Pelle safe at all costs – he’s an injury away from being a playoff starter.

Now to be fair, rolling with a lineup featuring Al Horford at the four isn’t the worst idea. With Shake Milton, Josh Richardson, and Tobias Harris perched on the wings and Embiid in the paint, the Sixers will still have plenty of spacing and be able to remain engaged in the rebounding game while retaining their defensive switchability.

Horford can still play the five when Embiid leaves the court, and Embiid can still get minutes next to Harris when Brown wants to give him sole reign over the paint.

Next. Ben Simmons’ knee injury robs the Philadelphia 76ers of continuity… again. dark

Look, I’m not one to stand in front of a tidal wave and expect it to move out of my way. Clearly, the basketball gods are massive fans of ‘the godfather’ and want nothing more than to see him go on another deep Eastern Conference playoff run; his 13th in as many seasons. If the Philadelphia 76ers are wise, they too will give in and just let it happen – until Ben Simmons returns, of course. Y’all member the post-process string of bad luck, right? We can’t afford that again.