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The Philadelphia 76ers now know they will be taking on the Washington Wizards in the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs. The Wizards pounded the Indiana Pacers in the play-in tournament to secure the No. 8 seed in the playoffs.
Washington is dangerous as an 8-seed with two superstars in Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal. The team found a groove over the last month and a half to make an incredible run into the playoffs after once sitting at 17-32.
That doesn't mean the Wizards are going to make history and pull off a monumental upset of the top-seeded Sixers. Washington could give Philly a scare, but this upset isn't happening, even if Scott Brooks thinks it can because of socks.
The Sixers went 3-0 in the regular season against the Wizards, and here are three reasons why the top seed will move on.
1. Joel Embiid
It all starts with Joel Embiid for Philly. The Sixers star has been motivated all season and is one of the three MVP finalists along with Nikola Jokic and Stephen Curry.
Embiid finished his season with a career-high 28.5 points per game to go along with 10.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.4 blocks and a steal per game. Most notably, his efficiency skyrocketed. He shot 51.3% from the field, 37.7% on 3-pointers and 85.9% from the foul line. He racked up an impressive 63.6% true shooting mark and a PER over 30 thanks to his dominant performance.
Embiid has always been a beast down low, but his ability to score at all three levels helped him take his game to the next level. In addition to that stellar 3-point shooting percentage, he hit over 49% of his mid-range attempts.
The big man is also the anchor of a dominant defensive unit (more on that in a bit), making him a two-way monster who impacts the game in a variety of ways.
The Wizards will throw a number of bodies at Embiid in an attempt to slow him down. Scott Brooks plays three centers in Alex Len, Robin Lopez and Daniel Gafford, and they'll all get their opportunities against him. But no matter what Washington tries, there's just not enough to slow down Embiid as he and the Sixers look to take that next step in the postseason.
2. Defense
The Sixers finished second in defensive rating this season, per NBA.com. Not only is Embiid a massive deterrent at the rim who will be there to alter drives by Westbrook and Beal (who's working through that hamstring injury) as well as lobs to Gafford, but Philly has the perimeter defenders to make life difficult on Washington's star backcourt.
Simmons is a Defensive Player of the Year candidate and a ferocious defender out on the perimeter. His length and athleticism will make life difficult for his opponent, and he's one of the NBA's best when it comes to steals and deflections. Beal is a great player, but going up against a guy like Simmons (and others) while not at 100 percent will be a tough ask.
Simmons is joined in the starting lineup by another strong wing defender in Danny Green. Furthermore, don't be surprised if Matisse Thybulle plays a key role in this series as the Sixers look to shut down the Wizards' star backcourt. Thybulle racked up 1.6 steals and 1.1 blocks per game despite only playing 20.0 minutes per contest. The youngster also led the NBA in deflections per 36 minutes by a wide margin.
While Philly is an outstanding defensive team, Washington … is not. The Wizards did get better over the course of the season to finish 20th in defensive rating after a truly horrific start, but at best they're mediocre on that end of the court. The Sixers' offense isn't elite as a whole (the starters are), but they should be able to take advantage of Washington's defense no matter who is on the court.
3. Dominant starting lineup
The Sixers boast one of the best starting lineups in the NBA with Embiid, Simmons, Green, Tobias Harris and Seth Curry. It's a strong blend of offense and defense with enough shooting to help make up for Simmons' shortcomings on the offensive end.
Among lineups with at least 300 minutes played this season, this group finished second in the NBA in net rating (14.0) behind only a Utah Jazz lineup. When that minutes filter goes to 400, it's the best group in the NBA.
While Philly's offense as a team finished in the middle of the pack, this lineup racked up an impressive 117.7 offensive rating. That's better than the Brooklyn Nets' league-best offense. And, unsurprisingly, this lineup shut opponents down to the tune of a 103.7 defensive rating, which is well below the Los Angeles Lakers' league-best mark.
In the playoffs when rotations tighten up, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers will surely turn to this starting lineup as much as possible. While there will be some key bench guys like Thybulle who will get minutes, Rivers will ride this group and get them to the second round.
