Why 76ers Rolled With PJ Tucker Over Harrell, Reed vs. Bucks

The Philadelphia 76ers have had a common trend of struggling to find a reliable backup behind their All-Star center Joel Embiid over the years. This year, the team entered the regular season with three options.

They could roll with the seasoned veteran Montrezl Harrell, the third-year former G League MVP Paul Reed, or utilize the power forward PJ Tucker at the spot.

In the first game against Boston, Doc Rivers chose the former Sixth Man of the Year to come in when Embiid was off the court. Utilizing Harrell was Rivers’ way of rewarding the veteran big man for his impressive preseason.

Unfortunately, the preseason success didn’t translate against the Boston Celtics. Harrell checked into Tuesday’s game for 11 minutes. During that time, Harrell contributed to just two points.

“Trez usually has a great effect,” Rivers said Tuesday. “Trez has to play better.”

When the Sixers returned to the court on Thursday night to face the Bucks, Paul Reed got the nod to go in behind Embiid. After checking in for five minutes in the second quarter, Reed produced just one rebound. Once he came out, his night was finished.

In the third quarter, Harrell checked into the game 25 seconds. Then in the fourth quarter, he played for a little over two minutes. Overall, he was a minus-2 on the court for two minutes.

“I didn’t like either one, honestly,” Rivers admitted. “That’s why I went with Tuck.”

Down the stretch, Rivers shifted the Sixers into a small-ball lineup with Embiid off the floor. With PJ Tucker playing at the five, the Sixers ran through James Harden and shifted the momentum of the game. Once trailing by 13 points, the Sixers found a way to get back in and get out in front.

“I thought that lineup changed the game for us,” said Rivers.

The Sixers couldn’t complete the comeback and send the Bucks home with a loss, but at least they know they can feel confident with Tucker at center if all else fails with Harrell and Reed. While Rivers hasn’t seen too much positive from the backups through the first two games, he’s far from worried about the backup five position right now.

“They’re both going to be great,” Rivers continued. “They’re gonna have good nights too. You know, trying to find who fits James the best is key with that when Joel’s off the floor. Usually, both of them are pretty good rollers. Today, neither of them did that very well.”

The Sixers will return to the court to host the Spurs on Saturday. As of right now, the backup five spot remains a mystery as Harrell and Reed have both struggled to lock in the minutes behind Embiid so far.

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