Doc Rivers Leaves No Doubt Danny Green Will Start for Sixers vs. Heat

The Philadelphia 76ers faced an uncommon issue in the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs. Since they drew a first-round series against the Toronto Raptors,

The Philadelphia 76ers faced an uncommon issue in the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs. Since they drew a first-round series against the Toronto Raptors, the Sixers had no choice but to have a part-time player on board. 

Sixers' third-year wing Matisse Thybulle admitted he wasn't fully vaccinated at the end of the 2021-2022 regular season. Therefore, Thybulle was ineligible to play in road games against the Raptors.

With Thybulle only eligible to be a part-time player, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers decided to find consistency with the starting lineup and rolled with Danny Green over Thybulle even in the first two games in South Philly.

For six-straight games in the postseason, Green maintained his position as Philly's starting small forward. After the Sixers wrapped up Game 6 on Thursday night with a victory over the Raptors, they advanced to the second round of the playoffs.

Since the Sixers will face the Miami Heat, no more COVID restrictions are forcing Thybulle to miss road games. While Rivers could go back to utilizing Green off the bench, the head coach made it apparent that won't be the case moving forward.

"That's for sure," said Rivers when asked if Danny Green was a starter moving forward.

"Danny's a vet," Rivers continued. "Like, if you're going to go on the road, you should bring Danny Green with you. Really, he is not fazed at all. He's pump-faking and taking threes. He's just what we didn't have last year. People forget in that series, we lost Danny, and we didn't have that veteran presence. So, it's really nice to see the way he's played."

The veteran forward doesn't bring the same defensive value as Thybulle, but he's still a capable defender and is more reliable on the offensive end. Against Toronto, Green averaged nine points per game while hitting on 36-percent of his threes. 

Considering Green has championship experience and also brings valuable veteran leadership to the table, Rivers feels comfortable continuing to roll with him as the Sixers head into a second-round series against the Miami Heat.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.