Sixers' Doc Rivers is Considering Keeping Isaiah Joe in the Rotation
The effects of COVID-19 spreading across the NBA haven't done teams any favors. For the last couple of weeks now, a handful of teams have been forced to play shorthanded or not play at all due to COVID cases and tracing.
The Philadelphia 76ers were hit hard last week as Seth Curry tested positive. While no other players came up with a positive test, the Sixers had to list seven players as questionable due to tracing while already having a few out because of injuries.
With many key players out, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers had no choice but to utilize his deep bench players. In a way, the situation has been a blessing in disguise for some. 76ers rookie Isaiah Joe has plenty of room for growth, and the team knows it.
Since the former Arkansas product just entered the NBA two months ago, Rivers and the Sixers didn't have any big plans for Joe in year one. Typically, a second-round rookie wouldn't see the floor too much in their first season, but because of COVID, Joe received some significant minutes in the recent stretch of games.
Joe's first NBA action came back in December when the Sixers threw him on the court in garbage time. In 14 total minutes of action between two games, Joe had forgettable performances as he scored just two points while shooting 1-for-3 from the field. Suddenly, he went from averaging seven minutes on the floor to picking up a 45-minute shift against the Denver Nuggets last Saturday.
Although the shorthanded Sixers lost to a much-healthier Nuggets team, Joe had an intriguing outing as he scored 13 points. While his shooting numbers weren't necessarily stellar, it was a stepping stone performance, which led to a solid three-game stretch against the Atlanta Hawks and the Miami Heat twice.
Over the last three games, Joe has averaged 14 points-per-game off the bench while knocking down 49-percent of his three-point shots. Three games might be a small sample size, but the sample he's provided Doc Rivers and the Sixers with has the head coach strongly considering keeping Joe in the rotation when others return.
“There’s never any complication when guys are playing well,” Rivers said as he was asked whether it will be difficult to send Joe back to the bench or not when players such as Furkan Korkmaz and Seth Curry return. “There’s room [in the rotation]."
In past seasons, former 76ers head coach Brett Brown liked to utilize a nine-man rotation. Rivers made it clear that he's going to have the Sixers rolling with ten players this year. However, he doesn't stand firm on that choice.
“I’ve never cared honestly,” Rivers admitted. “9, 10, 11, 12, 13, I don’t care. I’ve never had a problem throwing anybody in a game. You have to look at games as singular, sometimes.” Isaiah Joe might not have cemented his place in the key rotation just yet. Still, if he has another solid stretch of games before the Sixers get healthier, Rivers won't hesitate for a second to keep the thriving rookie in the equation.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_
