Philadelphia 76ers: Tobias Harris lays the bricks for a playoff foundation

To make an omelet, you need to crack a few eggs. To build a fire, you need to snap a few twigs. And to build a strong, lasting foundation, you need to lay down some bricks.

Unfortunately, I think the Philadelphia 76ers took that last sentiment literally, as they were absolutely putrid from beyond the arc in their most highly anticipated playoff debut in the last 20 years… not that it really mattered, considering they faced off against a Washington Wizards team that clearly couldn’t hang.

With that being said, eventually, the Sixers will have to play a team who can defend better than 30th in the NBA, right? I mean, it quite literally can’t get any worse than that. When that happens, one would have to assume this Sixers team won’t be able to get away with a 31.3 percent shooting performance from deep and still eke out a 125-118 win with relative ease.

Then again, when you have Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris combining for 67 points in 67 minutes of action combined, you’re always going to have a chance.

The Philadelphia 76ers’ bench scoring woes have unfortunately resurfaced in the postseason.

More from Section 215

Heading into the playoffs, one of the biggest questions internally asked among the fanbase was how, or should I say who, would be featured in the Philadelphia 76ers’ postseason rotation and how would the minutes be divvied up?

Sure, Doc Rivers suggested he could go 11, maybe even 12 men deep without batting an eye – which felt more like a threat than a vote of confidence in his depth – but no one really believed that, right? While it’s always nice to get more players involved and keep fresh folks on the court at all times, this is the playoffs, baybee; you win with your stars.

Well, if Game 1 is of any indication, it looks like the Sixers will be rolling with an 11 man rotation – the starters plus Dwight Howard, George Hill, Shake Milton, Matisse Thybulle, Furkan Korkmaz, and a little Tyrese Maxey for an injured Seth Curry – and predictably, they once again have to rely on the sheer star power of their starting five to bail them out.

Though the team still relied on their starting five for 168 of their 240 total minutes, which should have been more if it wasn’t for Joel Embiid’s two early fouls in the first, the Sixers’ reserves largely looked like situational specialists who were a bit too small for the moment.

Outside of George Hill, who looked every bit the part of a calming floor general worth multiple second-round picks to acquire, the Sixers’ reserves were largely quiet during the first half and failed to turn things around all that much in the second half. Only one player finished out the game with double-digit points, and one had a positive plus-minus on the contest.

Normally, that lack of depth scoring would be hard to overcome for a team with the 13th ranked offense in the NBA, but after turning in a horrid playoff series versus Boston last season, Tobias Harris wasn’t going to let that happen.

No, after being snubbed for the All-Star game but vindicated by the fans for his improved play, Harris took his game up a notch when his team needed him most and delivered onto the fans in attendance at the Wells Fargo Center a game they won’t soon forget.

The 10th year forward out of Tennessee looked aggressive, decisive, and poised, dropping 28(!) in the first half on the way to a 37-point performance. He bullied forwards like Rui Hachimura and Davis Bertans in man coverage, clowned on smaller guards like Raul Neto when they were placed on him for… some reason, and could seemingly score at will whenever he pleased.

Fortunately, Harris wanted to score a lot, which isn’t always the case but thankfully was in this particular instance.

Was it a perfect outing? No. Once again, you will seldom win games when you shoot 10-32 from beyond the arc over 48 minutes against a team with the number13 offense in the NBA, but in a series when your starters are averaging 33.6 minutes of action – again, limited by Embiid’s foul issues – that can be mitigated by sheer star power… at least in the first round.

Next. 5 numbers to know about the Sixers’ first round matchup with Washington. dark

With a few days off to recompose, regroup, and hopefully put up about a thousand practice shots from beyond the arc; hopefully, the Philadelphia 76ers can return to the ‘Farg on Wednesday night with a more composed offensive attack capable of taking the load off of Tobias Harris and the rest of the starting five. But if not, and the most valuable shots in the NBA keep falling short, the team’s playoff fortunes may be built on a foundation of bricks – just not the good kind.