Ok, so many more games into the season...here are my new thoughts.
Ben is clearly not going to be a consistent 20ppg scoring option. He's a facilitator, straight from the coach's mouth. So if that's the case, and best you can expect from Ben is the occasional aggressive game where he scores more than 16 points, you HAVE to find another creator. Someone who can get their own shot.
Hill is going to help the bench unit, and free up Shake to do SG things rather than PG things where I just don't see him excelling. Maxey for some reason is unplayable in Doc's eyes. I don't get it, but if he's not good enough yet then that's why Hill was acquired. Maybe Maxey learns and works hard and takes a 2nd year leap, but you can't rely on the happening.
Thybulle has impressed and it looks like depending on matchup and whether offense is needed more than defense, Doc will go with either Matisse or Furk. I don't see Furk coming back after this season when he knows he's battling for the 9th spot at best, and still isn't always winning.
As for the future of the lineups...
Embiid/?
Harris/Reed
Simmons/Thybulle
Curry/Milton/Joe
?/Maxey
That's not a bad 9 person roster to start the off-season with. But it's clearly missing a legit PG creator (Lowry, Ball) who can hit 3s, spread the floor, play defense a bit and take over to get a perimeter bucket when Ben decides he wants to facilitate more than score.
I'm thinking like, we have a 7'0 unstoppable offensive player, and one of the better catch and shoot guys in the game, along with a stretch 4 who can get his own buckets with a modicum of consistency. And then we have a 6'11 Draymond type.
So what's missing is that guy who can just pull up from the logo with confidence and bang home a 3.
Unfortunately we are handicapped with salary issues so we can't sign a superstar. We can't trade for a superstar. We can't just draft a superstar at the 27th pick. Maxey is unlikely to develop into one over a single off-season. Milton is peaking in my opinion. He's a scoring guard. What you see is what you get. Not a great pull up threat from 3, more of a catch and shoot guy who can get into the paint and create a bit.
I do think Maxey/Milton/Thybulle/Reed off the bench is a nice foundation for the future. I like Isaiah Joe too, but unclear on the fit if he's battling Shake for playing time. Maybe he waits in the wings and works on his game enough that he can eventually take over for Seth in the starting lineup? Maybe Reed continues to add strength and develops his game enough that Doc sees him as interchangeable between the 4/5 role off the bench, but it sure would be nice to add a Vet 4/5 guy too for more consistency in a playoff setting for next season.
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