“Adapt or die.” -Brad Pitt as Billy Beane in “Moneyball”
The Sixers have a long track record of getting smoked when Joel Embiid sits. Historically, the big man’s on-off splits are staggering. They’ve seemed needlessly stuck in the... mud...when it comes to backing him up, haven’t they? Doc Rivers has played a big hand in that.
Looking back, the issue predates Doc. Sure there was Al Horford, who ensured they could play well when the big fella sat. He was, by several tiers, the best backup big of Embiid’s career, if you’re willing to count him and his $100M+ contract as a “reserve” (he was by the time the bubble rolled around).