Urgency to win presents potential opportunity
Looking at this Philadelphia 76ers team heading into the 2021-22 season, there is going to continue to be a lot of talk about what the future holds for Ben Simmons and what the 76ers could potentially get for him in a trade, but the focus needs to be on the secondary talents on this roster.
In their Eastern Conference Semifinals series against the Atlanta Hawks, the 76ers did not necessarily lose because of Ben Simmons. He definitely helped contribute to their downfall, but ultimately, they really did not have guys that stepped up for them. Joel Embiid and Seth Curry were the leading scorers for this team in that series, with Tobias Harris also pulling his weight at times, but their bench play was non-existent.
Credit the Hawks for doing a great job defensively in this series against the 76ers, but Philadelphia was clearly the more talented team on paper, they just did not let their actions speak for them in this series.
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Having key contributors on the bench is going to be essential for the 76ers this season if they are to have a shot at making the Eastern Conference Finals, which is why Isaiah Joe could realistically see a handful of minutes early on in the season.
If Ben Simmons continues to hold out and misses games to start the season, guys like Seth Curry and Shake Milton, as well as second-year guard Tyrese Maxey will be thrown into larger roles for this team, but with Simmons being out, this team is going to be down a guy in their rotations.
Isaiah Joe is more than capable of stepping up and filling that 9th or 10th spot off the bench for this team and the Philadelphia 76ers should be more than willing to trust him after the way he has played this preseason. Being able to score off-the-dribble and in the paint is one thing, but Joe is shooting 12-19 (63.2%) from three-point range this preseason and he also showcased his perimeter game in Summer League, shooting 15-40 (37.5%) from deep in Las Vegas for the 76ers.
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The 22-year-old shooting guard has proven time and time again that he is a reliable perimeter shooter and in a league where so much value is put on perimeter players, there is no reason why the Sixers should not want to integrate Isaiah Joe into their rotations.
“He’s doing a great job,” Tobias Harris stated this preseason in regards to Joe. “He’s very humble with the way that he works. He comes in every day. He gets up probably the most shots out of anybody on the team, but I think if you asked anybody about Isaiah, there aren’t enough positive things to say. He just goes out there and plays his game sound, solid as ever, offensively and defensively, as you’re seeing.”
With other shooters on their roster in Curry, Green, and Korkmaz, Isaiah Joe fits right in with the 76ers’ offensive attack, but he separates himself from others on this roster because of his instincts defensively. It is really hard for rookies and second-year players to jump into the rotation for a championship-contending team in this league, but Joe has a certain “grit” to him that just resonates with everyone on this team.
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Getting after his opponents defensively and being the life of the team on defense is something that has really stood out about Joe’s game this preseason and something that head coach Doc Rivers has definitely taken notice of.
“I mean, I look at him now compared to the same time last year, he made plays tonight getting into the paint that there’s no way he could’ve done that last year,” Rivers told reporters after the 76ers preseason victory over the Raptors October 7. “He wouldn’t have [taken that shot] last year. He would’ve probably tried to get the three off. Instead of sometimes driving it, shot, or making another play.”
The Philadelphia 76ers are going to need “all hands on deck” this season if they are to compete for a title, especially with the Nets, Bucks, and Heat all being real championship contenders in the Eastern Conference. Young talents on this roster will need to step up at times throughout the regular season, which is why we could see Isaiah Joe work his way into the 76ers every-night rotation.
