Washington Wizards: Bulletin board material for the rematch vs. the 76ers

Keys to the Game:

Ron: Stopping Joel Embiid and Rui’ Hachimura’s reintroduction. Joel cooked us last time out. But with Thomas Bryant playing great as of late, I think we have a way to neutralize Joel: tire him out. Conditioning issues have plagued Embiid throughout his career, and it may be the only chink in his armor. To that end, I’m reminded of a lesson taught by coaches at all levels— the best way to defend a supremely talented offensive player is to make the player work on the defensive end. Easier said than done? Sure. But what gives us hope is that Bradley Beal and Thomas Bryant’s two-man game has been doing work lately! Against Minnesota, the two combined for 49 points. And against the Nets, the duo poured in 48 more points. More of the same against Philadelphia will help the Wizards win. Just ask Brooklyn.

Rui didn’t play the last time these two teams met. I believe that Rui’s defensive acumen will help douse some of the scorching play being displayed by Tobias Harris. I’m confident that Rui will get the better of his matchup with the reigning recipient for Eastern Conference Player of the Week. Why? The 76ers couldn’t stop Rui’s freshman floater, and his sophomore year will only be meaner! Put differently, cooking the 76ers is what Rui does.

https://twitter.com/WashWizards/status/1202794605986496512?s=20

Malcolm: Scotty Brooks will (likely) employ a series of double teams to limit Joel’s one-on-one matchups with Thomas Bryant, who we all know is a family-sized platter of BBQ-chicken on defense. But double at your own risk: JoJo is becoming a competent, dare I say, increasingly dangerous passer out of the post. The ball movement this team has displayed at times has been downright lusty. Just look at this.

Doubling Embiid is proving to be less effective every night. In this latest game against the Hornets, Embiid finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds, but he only played 25 minutes in a rout. But because of the Hornets doubling,  seven other guys scored in double figures, including Tobias Harris, who is making an all-star bid by doing things like this. I mean seriously, wtf???

If Harris continues to play like this, not only is a James Harden trade, or any trade, completely unnecessary, but it may get scary for the entire East and the Lakers. Coach Doc has Tobias back to the form he displayed while a member of the LA Clippers. Give him Coach of the Year, already! Rivers and Morey have proven to be worth their weight in gold so far. The early season triumphs are truly a testament to the Sixers’ front office’s obvious changes in leadership.

This team oozes confidence; Seth Curry seems poised for a career year; Ben Simmons continues to be the most enigmatic walking triple-double the NBA has ever seen; Shake Milton continues to evolve into Jamal Crawford 2.0; they’re making open threes and giving future NBA MVP  Joel Embiid room to do MVP THINGS.  Equal parts grace, power, swiftness, and downright NASTINESS – this is what you face when playing against the 76ers.