3 Players Sixers Need to Step Up vs. Raptors in Game 1

After failing to move up one more spot before the 2021-2022 regular season concluded, the Philadelphia 76ers notched the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference last Sunday night after a blowout victory against the Detroit Pistons.

By picking up the fourth seed, the Sixers knew right away that they would face the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the playoffs. 

While the first-round series won't necessarily mirror the second-round series between the Sixers and the Raptors series from three years ago, there is cause for concern on the Sixers' end as Game 1 approaches on Saturday night.

This season, the Sixers and the Raptors played each other four times. In the first outing, Philadelphia missed its star center Joel Embiid. In addition, James Harden was still a member of the Brooklyn Nets, and Ben Simmons was an inactive member of the Sixers. 

As we've learned many times throughout the season, when Embiid is off the floor for the Sixers, the team struggles to hit its stride. Therefore, the first of four matchups between Philadelphia and Toronto resulted in a Raptors victory.

One month later, Embiid was back on the floor and helped lead the Sixers to a 114-109 victory with a 36-point outing. Three months later, the Sixers and the Raptors met for the third time this year. At that point, Embiid was healthy, and Harden was an active member of the Sixers. Although Philly had both stars on board, the Raptors got the best of them and handed the Sixers a loss while shorthanded.

Then during the final week of the regular season, the Sixers and the Raptors met for the fourth and final time. Although the Sixers got off to a hot start, creating a 15-point cushion for themselves in the first quarter, they quickly dropped their double-digit lead and took on a disappointing 119-114 loss.

The regular season and the playoffs are two different beasts. Therefore, the Sixers shouldn't think about going 1-3 against Toronto when their series begins on Saturday. While Philadelphia will still enter the series as favorites from the jump, they'll need several players beyond the stars to step up and help contribute to wins.

Who Needs to Step Up?

Paul Reed

Let's just get the burning topic out of the way. The backup center position has caused tons of debates around Philadelphia and turned many Sixers fans against Doc Rivers. As Rivers continued to roll with the veterans DeAndre Jordan and Paul Millsap throughout the final stretch of the season, spectators have pounded the table for Rivers to utilize Paul Reed or even the rookie Charles Bassey.

During the final few games of the regular season, Rivers finally granted many disgruntled fans' wishes and trotted out Reed. While Reed brought tremendous energy to the floor -- especially on the defensive end and in the critical rebounding game -- his fouling was a cause for concern.

At this point, it's clear the Sixers don't have the ideal backup center behind Joel Embiid after trading away Andre Drummond. But Doc Rivers has to work with what he's got. While he could very well roll with DeAndre Jordan on Saturday night, his latest quotes on the backup center minutes hint that Paul Reed will be the guy to play against the Raptors.

If he does, he won't get a ton of time on the floor, as Embiid will more than likely see a boost in playing time now that each game matters more. But as long as Reed can hold his own in roughly ten minutes or less off the bench, then that should be viewed as a significant win in the Sixers' eyes.

Tobias Harris

Tobias Harris' contract makes it difficult for the veteran forward to exceed or even reach expectations. At this point, it's clear that Harris won't take over games like max-contracted veterans are expected to do, but the Sixers don't need that from him right now.

With Joel Embiid and James Harden headlining the show, Harris just needs to be the ideal supporting act for the Sixers. Last season, Harris was a solid third star playing alongside Embiid and Simmons during the regular season.

He also looked much improved during the playoffs as well. In 12 games, Harris averaged 21 points while shooting nearly 50-percent from the field and hitting on 37-percent of his threes.

After an up and down season this year, Harris ended the regular season on a high note. Ever since Harden joined the team, Harris knocked down 40-percent of his threes on over four attempts per game. As long as Harris is reliable in the catch-and-shoot game and avoids trying to do too much, he could be somewhat of an X-factor for Philadelphia.

Tyrese Maxey

Considering the young guard was in and out of Philly's lineup during his rookie effort last year, there are still question marks surrounding Maxey. The good news is that Maxey blew away expectations when he replaced Ben Simmons in Philly's starting lineup during the regular season.

Now, the Sixers hope that he can continue to keep the ball rolling in the postseason. It won't be Maxey's first look in the playoffs when the Sixers and the Raptors begin their series on Saturday.

Last year, when the Sixers struggled to find consistently productive minutes out of the bench, Doc Rivers called on Maxey at times. Overall, the young guard averaged six points and one assist while shooting 43-percent from the field in roughly 13 minutes of action on the court in 12 games during last year's postseason run.

In the three matchups where Maxey checked in for over 20 minutes, he notched double digits every time. The one game that stood out during last year's playoff run was Game 6 on the road against the Atlanta Hawks.

When the Sixers needed a burst of energy off the bench, Maxey offered his team that as he drilled 41-percent of his shots for 16 points in the win-or-go-home matchup.

At this point, it's clear the young guard doesn't shy away from big moments. Now, it's time to see if his fearlessness will translate to winning playoff basketball games in a full-time role with the 76ers. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.