Section 215
Fansided

Philadelphia 76ers: Glenn Robinson III is the starting five’s only hope

By Matty Breisch

(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Heal up Glenn Robinson, you are the Philadelphia 76ers’ only hope.

The Philadelphia 76ers have a serious problem.

Okay, technically the Sixers have, like, a thousand problems of varying degrees of seriousness ranging from unhappy season ticket holders to the consequences of investing $400-plus million on ill-fitting players in the summer of 2019. Frankly, it’d probably be easier to figure out what isn’t an issue for the Sixers presently, as outside of Franklin, Joel Embiid, and having a Shake Shack in their arena, the team is in dire straights.

What were we talking about again? Oh yeah, the 76ers’ serious problem. How could I forget?

More from Section 215

So like I said, the Philadelphia 76ers have a serious problem: Who should start in place of Ben Simmons? Since losing the two-time All-Star point guard to a knee injury during the Sixers’ early August win over the Washington Wizards, Brett Brown has been fruitless in his effort to replace Simmons in his starting five, a matter made all the worse by the constitution of Brad Stevens’ Boston Celtics.

In Game 1, Brown started former Celtic Al Horford, and unsurprisingly enough, it didn’t go particularly well. Horford was often forced to guard much smaller, more athletic forwards, and seldom was able to take advantage of would-be mismatches on the offensive end of the court.

Then, in Game 2, Brown switched it up and gave Matisse Thybulle a nod at small forward, in a move that kicked Tobias Harris to the four spot, arguably his natural position. Now to be fair, this move actually seemed fairly savvy at the time, as Thybulle pretty effectively put the clamps on Jayson Tatum in the six minutes he covered the former Dukie in Game 1, but unfortunately, that trend didn’t hold true under expanded scrutiny. Thybulle finished out Game 2 with a -30 plus-minus and saw his role greatly diminished in Game 3; going from 24 minutes in Game 2 to a little over eight two days later.

Horford did make a come back for Game 3, but really, it didn’t matter all that much. Regardless of which players earn a start in Game 4, the Sixers just can’t seem to constitute a starting five with four shooters surrounding Embiid, whether they’d like to or not.

*sigh* why does Glenn Robinson III have to be out with a knee injury?

When the 76ers initially traded three second-round picks to the Golden State Warriors for a pair of wings on expiring contracts all the way back in February, it was Robinson, not Alec Burks, that many fans were excited about. A former Process-era Sixer who had a cup of coffee with the team back in 2015 after being selected 40th overall in the 2014 NBA Draft, Robinson’s development as a player escalated considerably under the watchful eye of three-time Championship-winning head coach Steve Kerr. Slotted into the Warriors’ vacant small forward position previously filled by Kevin Durant back in October of 2019, Robinson was off to a career year, averaging 12.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and .9 steals for one of the worst teams in the NBA.

Robinson also found success on the defensive end of the court, a truly remarkable outcome for a player previously known for his skywalking abilities and 2017 Slam Dunking Championship. Routinely tasked with covering the opposing team’s best wing, Robinson finally took on the moniker of a 3-and-D wing and looked like a borderline keeper for a team who should be considerably better come December.

With the Sixers’ season hanging on by a thread – ignoring, of course, that no team has ever won a Round 1 series when down 3-0 – starting Robinson is the lone option left to try to make this a series once more, it’s just too bad it won’t happen.

Or will it?

According to Philly Voice’s Kyle Neubeck, Robinson was officially declared out on August 16th due to a lingering hip injury, and would be re-evaluated in 7-10 days. Technically, seven days from the 16th is the 23rd, the date of the Sixers’ Game 4 contest.

Assuming Robinson is out, the Sixers will probably roll with Horford for one last game, lay down, and move on to a tumultuous, yet entertaining offseason. Burks and Robinson will walk, players will (hopefully) be traded, and we’ll hold our collective breaths that the last half-decade wasn’t for nothing. But if Robinson can go, then Game 4 may be a game yet.

In theory, Robinson is the player the Sixers need right now. He’s another 6-foot-6 wing option who can switch one-through-four on the Celtics’ wings, a 39.1 percent shooter from beyond the arc, and even get the team’s currently non-existent full-court offense going with some speedy coast-to-coast momentum-shifting dunks.

Is that enough to turn the Sixers’ season around? What? No. God no. But at least it gives the team a chance, and so far, there haven’t been a whole lot of chances floating around the NBA bubble for the red, white, and blue.

Next. Ghosting Joel Embiid in the fourth is criminal. dark

So Glenn Robinson, please, please, please do everything in your power to get cleared to play in Game 4. Drink water. Do some yoga. Maybe even try cupping. I don’t really know what cupping does, but hey, maybe it works? As things presently stand, you may very well be the Philadelphia 76ers’ only hope, and I’m not quite ready to stop watching basketball just yet.