We have seen multiple different variations of the Philadelphia 76ers' rotation throughout 2021-22. Between injuries and health and safety protocols, it seemed like a new group of players was taking the floor every night. Now, for this final stretch of the regular season, the Sixers find themselves at full strength.
Given the plethora of players available on a nightly basis, Doc Rivers has some decisions to make regarding his rotation. He has never been one to have a set number of rotation players, and we are starting to see that once again.
At the end of the day, there are only so many minutes to go around. While Rivers is not shy about implementing a deep rotation, some guys still have to be on the outside looking in. That being said, we are starting to see a quiet tournament emerge for the final rotation spots.
In the Sixers' recent games, Shake Milton and Furkan Korkmaz have been battling for playing time. Rivers has provided each player an extended opportunity to solidify their spot as the second guard for the bench unit.
Before their 125-119 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night, Rivers brought up how situations like this are a good thing for teams.
“It's healthy. It's not bad for your team to have a competition for minutes. It can actually be very healthy as long as guys handle it right, and so far, everyone's done that,” he said.
Given how strong of a culture the Sixers have built over the past two seasons, a minutes battle like this will not weigh down the locker room. It's evident guys on this team enjoy playing together and want to bring the best out of one another.
Based on what we've seen in this recent stretch, it's pretty clear to whom Rivers should afford more playing time. Milton has looked much better than Korkmaz and should get a minutes bump because of it.
Heading into this season, Milton was someone Rivers was extremely high on. Unfortunately, injuries and COVID-19 derailed a majority of his season. Since he's returned from his back injury, the 25-year-old has shown some nice flashes. In the win over the Cavs, Milton tallied 11 points off the bench on stellar 4-for-6 shooting.
Korkmaz turned heads when he assumed backup point guard duties in the opening weeks of the season. But outside of that stretch, he has been lackluster. His shooting remains up-and-down, and he's currently in the midst of another dry spell. Over the Sixers' last five games, Korkmaz is shooting 1-for-10 from beyond the arc.
After shooting close to 38% from three last season, Korkmaz is down to 29% on almost identical volume. As someone who entered the league as a three-point specialist, a drop-off of this magnitude is a bit concerning. Korkmaz can get hot shooting-wise, but when he isn't knocking them down, there is no reason for him to be on the floor.
Rivers has a choice to make, but it's already been made for him. Milton has more upside as a player and performed better throughout this quiet competition for playing time. There is no reason why Rivers shouldn't boost his minutes to get him crucial in-game reps before the postseason tips off.
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