The Milwaukee Bucks host the Philadelphia 76ers at BMO Harris Bradley Center on Monday.
The Sixers (12-26) are in their best stretch in nearly five years, as they’ve won five of their last seven games. The correlation with that run is the insertion of T.J. McConnell into the starting lineup, as they are 6-2 since he took over Sergio Rodriuguez’ job. It’s more about Joel Embiid than McConnell though, as Embiid has developed into one of the best big men in the league, in just his rookie season. An amazing stat regarding Embiid is the fact that this team has a positive plus-minus with him on the floor and the worst plus-minus in the NBA when he’s not on the floor. That shows what type of impact he makes on both sides of the ball and the process finally seems to be paying dividends after years of futility in Philly.
The Bucks (20-19) have a future just as bright as the Sixers, as they have three of the best young players in the league. Everyone knows about Giannis Antetokounmpo’s ridiculous athleticism, but Jabari Parker and Malcolm Brogdon are playing some inspired ball as well. This young core has led the Bucks to five wins across their last eight games, as they find themselves tied for fifth in the Eastern Conference. The next step is to get more out of the frontcourt though, with players like Greg Monroe, John Henson and Mirza Teletovic all playing below expectations. Monroe has been finding his form recently, but it’s a wonder why he doesn’t start or play more minutes. What makes that even more bizarre is the fact that the Bucks rank as one of the worst teams in terms of power forward and center production.
