The bench is taking over

     No Embiid? No problem. No Harden? No problem. No Maxey? No problem. The Nets, along with Ben Simmons, could confidently waltz into the Wells Fargo Center, and confidently waltz out with a win...so everyone thought. After all, the 76ers were virtually stripped bare of all their glory. Three of their five starters were out, and those three happened to be Tyrese Maxey, James Harden, and Joel Embiid, the three players that Philly needs the most. Even Tobias Harris wasn't completely healed following problems with his hip. The Nets had everyone in only two players: Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. And both former Sixers, the notorious Ben Simmons and sharpshooter Seth Curry were also in the house.  The Nets were supposed to win, but they instead they were sent back to Brooklyn reeling off of a 115-106 loss to the 76ers' bench. 

    Losing to a team with a score like that isn't a problem, but when you lose with a score like that to the team's bench, that's a problem. And when a teams starters lose to the team's bench, that's a serious issue. And when the team's starters include players such as Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, that's ridiculous. I could go on and on and on and on.

    De'Anthony Melton proved to the Sixers why they signed him this past off-season. He had 22 points four rebounds four assists and was six for 11 on three point shooting, to lead the shorthanded team. Tobias Harris also had 24 points and six rebounds. Paul Reed hauled in 10 rebounds and scored 19 points. The bench played like starters in the game. 

    Then, the Sixers faced the Hornets on the road, and took a close loss. Shake Milton had 22 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds, but that was about it for Philly. Charlotte beat Philly 107-101, and it seemed like Philly's bench actually might not be so great as everyone thought they were. 

Shake Milton nearly had a triple double in a dominant performance vs the Magic

      Photo Credit: Sixers Wire

 Never mind. Philly took over Orlando 107-99, and Philly's roster only got better. Shake Milton had a double-double as he dished out 10 assists and scored 24 points. In fact, he nearly had a triple double, but grabbed only nine rebounds. Tobias Harris grabbed 10 rebounds and had 23 points, and Paul Reed grabbed seven rebounds. Although three of Philly's five starters aren't on the court, Philly's bench has been playing excellently, and have won two of their last three games, one against Brooklyn. They definitely aren't the starters the 76ers are used to, but for now, they are delivering Philadelphia solid wins.

The above photo was taken from a Sixers Wire article. Photo was taken by Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports. Article written by Ky Carlin. Image used for commentary.