With only 17 games remaining on their regular season slate, the Philadelphia 76ers are caught up in an intense race in the Eastern Conference for a guaranteed spot in the playoffs. Unfortunately for them, things will get even tougher from here on out thanks in large part to their suddenly shorthanded configuration due to all the injuries they have suffered as of late.
Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre will be out of commission for the next few weeks, which means that the 76ers will be relying heavily on Quentin Grimes to fill in and play a prominent role. That was the precise task he was tabbed for in the latter part of last season, and he will have to reprise that level of production..
After all, doing so carries with it a lot of major repercussions. First off, his future in Philly is already quite dicey given that he has not met the expectations that were levied on him after his strong performance last season. He has struggled with a more streamlined role, but now that he will enjoy the liberty of being one of the lead guys, there is no more room for mistake on his part.
The 76ers need Quentin Grimes to play like he did last season to make the playoffs
Given their current footing in the standings and internally (health-wise), the 76ers face the real possibility of missing the playoffs for a second straight year. While they are not far away from the sixth seed, the teams ahead of them boast healthier lineups and have momentum going for them in the standings watch.
Grimes, who will presumably take on the primary scoring duties together with rookie VJ Edgecombe due to Embiid, George, Maxey, and Oubre getting sidelined, has to do well. So far, he is averaging just 13 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in nearly 30 minutes per outing –– numbers which are quite underwhelming given his ample exposure on the hardwood.
Even worse, he is shooting just 44.7 percent from the field and 33.8 percent from beyond the arc. He needs to get those figures up in order to keep the team watchable on the offensive end with so many high-octane scorers out.
But most importantly, this stretch could very well determine if the 76ers front office will want to keep him on the roster and extend him another contract offer this summer. If he does not perform well, he might as well start packing up his stuff when the season ends.
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