Seth Curry proving to be the Sixers’ floor-spacing antidote

NBA: DEC 01 Mavericks at Lakers
LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 01: Dallas Mavericks guard Seth Curry (30) before an NBA game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers on December 01, 2019, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire)

Seth Curry makes life easy for Embiid and Simmons.

Following the Sixers’ 4-0 sweep at the hands of the Boston Celtics, one thing was very clear – the team desperately needed shooting.

The Sixers lack of floor spacing was a problem all regular season long, and one that was only heightened during the postseason. Joel Embiid, surrounded by guys like Al Horford and Josh Richardson, really just had no room to operate down in the post. The Celtics could easily swarm him with double teams, forcing the ball to be kicked out to below-average three-point shooters.

During this past offseason, newly hired president Daryl Morey made a point of adding as much perimeter shooting as possible. He landed Danny Green and Seth Curry, and the latter guard has quickly proven himself to be an elite piece alongside Embiid (and Ben Simmons).

On Thursday against the Magic, we really saw this Curry-Embiid partnership come to fruition. The partnership combined for 42 points on 14-23 shooting, and Curry poured in five threes. The Orlando defense was in a state of constant disarray, unable to consistently double team Embiid in the post due to the threat that Curry imposed on the outside.

This two-man game that Embiid and Curry were running was, at times, the focal point of the Sixers offense. In a group that has struggled to look offensively cohesive at time, this elite partnership was a pleasant sight. It helped guide the Sixers to a 30+ point lead for the majority of the evening, eventually resulting in a commanding 116-92 victory.

Moving forward, this partnership between Embiid and the newly acquired Curry should continue to be elite. Curry has been one of the best shooters in the league since 2018, and Embiid’s passing out of the post has looked noticeably improved. By running the offense through these two more and more, we may even see a situation similar to that of what Embiid and JJ Redick had in 2017 and 2018…

Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire