Atlantic Division Breakdown: Celtics vs 76ers

Breaking down the Atlantic Division matchup between the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers

The Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers should be a lopsided matchup. The 76ers are expected to be much improved from a season ago, but they were no where near the Celtics, and that was before the addition of Al Horford. Even though the Celtics should feel confident in their matchup against the 76ers, they have weapons in their front court that will be a matchup problem for anyone.

It is too hard to tell what the rotation will look like but the unique athleticism the 76ers have with Joel Embiid, Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel, Ben Simmons and Dario Saric could cause a lot of problems for a team that was abused on the interior last year.

This is the kind of matchup where the Celtics need Horford to be a strong rim protector. Even with him, the Celtics have a lot of uncertainty in their interior defense and Horford is the only one that can give them an advantage in that area. Amir Johnson could be serviceable, but it is unrealistic to expect him to be able to shut down any of the elite athletes the 76ers have in their front court.

The Celtics could also have a difficult time in their small ball lineups. With Simmons expected to be a primary ball handler, the Celtics cannot afford to go too undersized with their lineups. They succeeded with small ball and that may be the key to establishing their pace in this matchup. That being said, playing small will make things far too easy for the 76ers’ interior players.

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The good news is that the Celtics are much better equipped to play bigger this year. Horford and Johnson give them enough size and both Kelly Olynyk and Tyler Zeller give them solid size off the bench. The problem is that even if they add size, they cannot be trusted as strong defenders. Zeller was abused by Okafor on the inside last year, and he could be the least threatening player in that 76ers group this season.

Stevens has done a great job optimizing his lineups, and he will have to come up with something a little more unique to account for the unprecedented size on the 76ers. It could cause problems, but the Celtics are stronger in far too many other areas to be losing games to the 76ers.

The 76es are expected to give a lot of the point guard duties to Simmons, but the Celtics have guards that are comfortable being undersized, and Jae Crowder should be able to hold down the rookie. The Celtics have a trio of defenders in Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart and Crowder that allows Stevens to throw a lot of different looks at what could end up being the point forward.

Other than the dynamic position that Simmons is in, the Celtics have nothing to worry about in the front court. Isaiah Thomas should avoid being a defensive liability and even Terry Rozier could have a good shot at defending the likes of Jerryd Bayless and T.J McConnell.

Bayless has shot a measly 41.5 percent for his career, and does little to distribute the ball. McConnell was a strong shooter, but it was in a small sample size. Despite a shooting percentage of 47, McConnell averaged just 6.1 points per game, with a negative offensive box plus minus. From the starters to the bench, the Celtics have an advantage at every point of the back court, and that is where the Celtics are their strongest.

Mar 20, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard T.J. McConnell (12) drives toward the net as Boston Celtics guard Terry Rozier (12) defends during the second quarter of the game at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports /

Horford could have his hands full in the paint. The most important thing will be providing resistance on the defensive end, while more of the offensive responsibility will fall on the guards. Noel has already proven that he can be an elite rim protector and Embiid could easily have that kind of impact. The 76ers have more than enough to make up for Okafor being a liability on the defensive end, and the Celtics will struggle if they are depending on too much offensive production in the paint.

The one edge the Celtics have is that both Horford and Olynyk will stretch the floor. If the Celtics can draw the great rim protectors to the outside, they should be able to function at a much higher level. The Celtics will need to earn that respect, however. With the way they struggled shooting last year, the Celtics will need to prove they can hit those open shots before the 76ers will threaten their interior defense to account for it.

The 76ers also have a stretch forward of their own that could cause problems. Saric shot over 40 percent from three last season in Europe, and the Celtics will need to account for him on the outside on top of the dynamic weapons on the inside. Fortunately, the Celtics have a lot of versatile defenders that should be comfortable defending a forward on the exterior.

Thomas will be the most important offensive player, and he should have no problem getting into rhythm. Depending on how much the 76ers want to test Simmons’ defensive versatility, he has nothing to fear from the 76ers’ defense. The Celtics should be able to establish their ball movement and that should lead to enough open looks for their offense to function effectively.

The second unit, however, could be more problematic. Depending on how the 76ers rotation looks and what kind of role someone like Saric will have, the second unit could get crushed on the interior, and that is terrifying for both Smart and Rozier. The two primary ball handlers on the second unit are incredibly aggressive, and they struggle shooting the ball. They are more likely to force things on the inside and there might not be much for them to do in that area.

The Celtics’ starting unit is strong enough that they will not need a huge impact from the second unit in this matchup, but they need to be able to hold their own. They need to be able to get Jonas Jerebko and Olynyk going, because that is going to be their only realistic chance to be successful on offense with Smart and Rozier driving into their interior.

The Celtics will also be dealing with a very inexperienced team. The 76ers could struggle to get comfortable and in rhythm and that is where the Celtics’ defense becomes the most dangerous. They always force ball handlers into more difficult positions and they should be able to neutralize Simmons’ remarkable passing ability.

Next: Is Terry Rozier Being Set Up for Disappointment?

The 76ers are finally heading in the right direction and should start seeing some of the results form that long process. The problem is that it is still far too early to think that the team who picked first overall last year can compete with what could be the second best team in the Eastern Conference.

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