Top 3 Sixers-Nets Series Takeaways
On Saturday, April 22, the Philadelphia 76ers closed out their 2023 NBA Playoffs opening series against the Brooklyn Nets. The series only lasted four games, as the Sixers pulled out the brooms and swept the Nets out of the playoffs. After an up-and-down regular season for both teams, this series answered a lot of questions that fans had. Here are the top 3 Sixers-Nets series takeaways.
The Sixers Can Survive Without Joel Embiid, But Not for Long
In the three games that superstar Joel Embiid played in this series, he averaged 20.0 points per game and had 15 total turnovers.
The truth is, the 76ers did not need Embiid to play like the 33.1 points per game player that he was in the regular season. The Brooklyn Nets did everything they could to limit Embiid’s effectiveness on the offensive end by doubling him and roughing him up. While the Nets were able to limit his scoring, Embiid impacted the game by simply being on the court. He demanded so much attention from the Nets that nearly every other Sixer seemed to be forgotten about.
The Philadelphia 76ers did not need Embiid to be his normal self in this series. Even without him in Game 4, the team was able to earn an eight-point victory over Brooklyn to close the series. The Sixers survived this series without Embiid playing like the MVP, but they will certainly need his full arsenal in the anticipated matchup against the Boston Celtics next round.
Paul Reed is a Guy
For two years, there have been questions surrounding Paul Reed’s ability to be Joel Embiid’s backup. Even though he showed tremendous development while playing alongside James Harden this season, fans still had questions about Reed – until this playoff series. In the four games against the Nets, Reed averaged 7.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. His best outing came in Game 4 when he started in place of Embiid, logged 32 minutes, and registered 10 points and 15 rebounds.
playoff Paul. 😤 pic.twitter.com/j9ogVLuAp2
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) April 24, 2023
This series was certainly a coming-of-age party for B-Ball Paul, as he showed that he can be a legitimate player in the NBA. The former G League MVP will need to continue making the most of his minutes if he wants to remain the long-term answer to the Sixers’ backup center role.
The Brooklyn Nets’ Future is a Mystery
After assembling what seemed to be a superteam with Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving just a few years ago, the Brooklyn Nets’ future now remains a mystery after moving off of all three of those stars.
The team certainly has some intriguing young pieces; however, getting swept in their first playoff series does not leave much to be desired. In his exit interview, general manager Sean Marks remained optimistic about the future of the team.
“It would be nice to see this group stick it out and be together as long as they can. Hopefully, as [Jacque Vaughn] said, over the summer they can take advantage of being around one another, and I think you have that in these individuals. They really feel like they are a close family.”
Marks has one of the most difficult jobs in the NBA this summer. His team does have some nice young pieces, but this playoff series showed that they need a lot more to be contenders again. It will be interesting to monitor what the Nets try to do from here.
