4. January 17 at Philadelphia
The Philadelphia 76ers made some good moves this summer. They lost an All-Star-caliber swingman in Jimmy Butler, but they added a talented three-and-D wing in Josh Richardson, a two-way veteran big man in Al Horford and a low-floor draft pick in Matisse Thybulle. They also re-signed Tobias Harris, someone who spaces the floor and gives them offensive versatility.
With a potential starting lineup of Ben Simmons, Richardson, Harris, Horford and Joel Embiid, the Sixers are looking like one of the biggest matchup-nightmares in recent NBA history. At 6-foot-6, Richardson would be the shortest player in that hypothetical lineup. No one else is under 6-foot-9. That’s ridiculous. How is anyone supposed to guard them? More importantly, how are the Bulls supposed to guard them?
Richardson is the only guy that Zach LaVine could conceivably guard, meaning a guy like Tomas Satoransky is going to have to guard… Tobias Harris? Sato is a solid defender and he’s taller than he looks, but that’s still a matchup Harris would be able to exploit.
What about the frontcourt? I like Wendell Carter Jr. and Lauri Markkanen as a pairing for the future, but are they ready to shut Embiid and Horford down? Doubtful.
Add in the fact that this is a road game for the Bulls on ESPN, and this is looking like a guaranteed loss for Chi-Town.