Knicks Boast 3 Clear Advantages Over 76ers Entering Their Series

Mar 26, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) is restrained by center Mitchell Robinson (23) in the fourth quarter against the LA Clippers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The 76ers may have entered the playoffs as the seventh seed, but they're a damn good one.

Joel Embiid, even on a consistently malfunctioning body, is still one of the best players in the league. Tyrese Maxey is a matchup nightmare for a lot of teams. Paul George, despite not getting any younger, is a great third option to have. And rookie VJ Edgecombe has given Philadelphia the type of perimeter defensive hound that it's longed for.

They provide New York with some tough challenges, and they will make things very difficult for them. But the Knicks should still be favored as they have a few very clear advantages.

76ers don't come close to Knicks' depth

The 76ers have more or less settled on a 6.5-man rotation. It sounds insane, but it's true. Ever since Embiid has returned from his appendectomy, Quentin Grimes has been the only bench player getting consistent minutes.

In their last three games, Grimes is the lone bench option to see more than 14 minutes in any single game. Meanwhile, outside of the garbage time crew, Andre Drummond, Justin Edwards, and Dominick Barlow are all seeing sparingly little court time.

While it's been rare for the Knicks to be the one with the depth advantage, that seems to be the clear indicator heading into the second round. They have three guys that play a significant role off the bench.

Mitchell Robinson brings a blend of athleticism and size, which will be relied on even more against the 76ers given his past successes guarding Embiid. Deuce McBride has always been one of the team's most impactful players, and may also see an uptick in minutes this series due to him being maybe the Knicks' best option to slowing down Maxey.

Jordan Clarkson has re-invented himself, and has earned a spot as a consistent bench mainstay. There's also Jose Alvarado, despite not playing at all in game one of the first round, who came on toward the end of the Hawks series.

The 76ers' top two, and arguably top four, is as good as the Knicks'. But there's no denying that New York's depth from 5-8 is significantly better than Philadelphia's.

If the Knicks want to beat the 76ers, and advance to the conference finals, their depth will have to make a huge difference. This could be of note the longer the series goes on as a now 36-year-old George, and the often hobbled Embiid, could start to wear down against what has been a very physical Knicks team.

Knicks should dominate boards against 76ers

The Knicks have developed an identity as one of the league's best offensive rebounding teams over the last few years. Robinson and Towns are great at crashing the boards offensively, with the latter ranking 17th in the league, and the former ranking fifth despite being the only player in the top 14 to play less than 20 minutes per game.

That's not even to mention Josh Hart, who has made a reputation for being one of the league's premier offensive rebounding guards.

The Knicks didn't have much success with this in the first round as the Hawks did a great job keeping them off the glass. But if they can get back to their roots, it could be a significant bonus for them.

The 76ers gave up 12.1 offensive rebounds per game in the first round, which was the fourth most, and even after Embiid's return, they've given up 11.8 per game, which is eighth in the playoffs during that span. New York has the ability to make up for averaging 2.5 more turnovers per game by creating more possessions and shot opportunities with their elite offensive rebounding.

It's not just on the offensive end for the Knicks, though. The Knicks enter the second round ranked second in defensive rebounds per game, while the 76ers rank second to last in offensive rebounds per game. In the last four contests after Embiid's return, they rank dead last.

The Knicks may have some trouble containing Embiid and Maxey. They may struggle with how they defend Hart at times. But as it so often has, their ability to keep the opponents to one shot, while creating multiple opportunities offensively, could end up being the difference maker, especially as the series goes on.

Karl-Anthony Towns is matchup nightmare for 76ers in second round

As so many teams have tried to do, the 76ers will at least attempt to put a center -- likely Embiid -- on Hart at times. But there's a reason why most teams don't do it, even though they know that it's the strategy that most often slows the Knicks down.

There are only a handful of teams in the league that have the personnel to be able to execute it well enough for an extended period of time. The big question in this series will be if the 76ers do.

Right off the bat, I don't think the 76ers have any wing players they can, or at least want to, put on Towns. George had a very good defensive series against the Celtics, but putting your third-best offensive player, who also happens to be 36, may not be wise for Nick Nurse.

If they do feel comfortable enough to put Embiid on Hart though, the latter must stay aggressive. Hart cannot be passive and give Embiid plays off.

Either make them pay by knocking down what will likely be very open threes, attacking Embiid by cutting aggressively with intention, or driving right at the physically compromised big man. Doing that should result in the 76ers reverting to a more standard defense of putting Embiid on Towns.

That may seem like it makes life more difficult for Towns, and in turn, the Knicks. But that shouldn't be the case.

We've seen for two straight seasons now that the offense looks nearly unstoppable when opposing teams put their big men on Towns. It almost doesn't matter how good that defender is.

And with Embiid being slowed by injuries, the two-man game of Brunson and Towns against a retreating Embiid could lead to some very big problems for the 76ers. Even if the direct two-man game isn't their weapon of choice, New York could decide to run the flex action that worked so well against Atalanta again.

That would take some pressure off of Brunson, who'll be guarded by Edgecombe for much of the series, and could open up Anunoby to have another monster showing.