Don’t Expect to See Sixers’ Playoff Rotation Preview Anytime Soon

The NBA Playoffs are around the corner. With the All-Star break in the rearview, the Philadelphia 76ers have 24 games left to go in the regular season.

Some would say it’s crunch time for the Sixers. As they attempt to get past the second round of the playoffs for the first time in the Joel Embiid era, the next 24 games serve as an opportunity to fine-tune the team and figure out what’s going to work best when the games become do-or-die scenarios.

In their first game back from the All-Star break, the Sixers engaged in a tough and physical battle with a Western Conference contender, the Memphis Grizzlies. After the game, members of the Sixers mentioned that Thursday’s matchup resembled a playoff atmosphere, from the energy of the crowd to the way the game itself played out.

As the Sixers found themselves down big early, they played catch-up throughout the duration of the game. While they rolled out a typical ten-man rotation, some of the team’s reserves, including one starter, saw the court for fewer minutes than usual, which resembled a playoff rotation.

De’Anthony Melton checked in for 13 minutes on Thursday. Shake Milton and Paul Reed combined for 14 minutes, while Georges Niang played four fewer minutes than he averages.

After the game, Doc Rivers explained his decision to go off-script and tweak his rotations.

“We did tonight because we were down,” he explained. “We couldn’t take a chance.”

With Rivers utilizing a possible playoff look in the first game down the stretch of the year, is that a preview of what’s to come as the season winds down? Not necessarily.

"Now, we gotta play more guys right now,” said Rivers. “We got a lot of games coming up. We want to actually stretch the rotation more than diminish it, but the game dictated what we did, so we did it.”

It seems Thursday’s rotations were a situational change. De’Anthony Melton played fewer minutes because he was struggling in the eyes of Rivers. Milton and Reed saw limited minutes because the combination of Tyrese Maxey and James Harden was working well, while Joel Embiid’s defense was nothing short of spectacular and absolutely crucial to Philly’s comeback win.

The rotation was surely a preview of what could come in the playoffs, but don’t get used to it. As the Sixers go through their final stretch, they’ll do what they can to find a healthy balance of climbing the ranks while staying healthy and rested as the postseason approaches.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.