Philadelphia 76ers: Which Bench Players Stood Out So Far?

After two preseason games which saw several rotation players get ample time to play, who has stood out for Doc Rivers' team?

Although the preseason gives time for stars like Joel Embiid and James Harden to get warmed up and reacclimated following a long offseason, it can be even more important for players fighting for more minutes.

A case and point being Wednesday's home opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers, who Philadelphia defeated 113-112. Apart from being a close game, it was a battle that only saw Joel Embiid and James Harden in the first half, as De'Anthony Melton, Shake Milton, Paul Reed, and Montrezl Harrell took over in the last two quarters.

With these players and more receiving big minutes, who has been standing out from the Sixers' bench?

Paul Reed

With the addition of Harrell into the Sixers' depth chart, many believed Reed was denied a spot as a backup center to Embiid, but this hasn't stopped the 6'9" big man from having a hot start to the preseason.

Reed was a big part of Philadelphia's win over the Brooklyn Nets, scoring ten points, grabbing five rebounds, and stripping away three steals. This streak of defensive grit continued against Cleveland, as Reed recorded four steals and six rebounds to help the Sixers come back on Monday.

Reed's seven steals is the highest through the first half of the Sixers' preseason, with several players being tied behind with four strips recorded. The former DePaul star has made it clear that although he has competition, he is still willing to fight for his spot in the lineup, maybe not as a backup to Embiid, but for players such as Tobias Harris and P.J. Tucker.

Montrezl Harrell

During the offseason, the Sixers' last addition was that of Harrell, who was brought in to back up Embiid after the departure of Paul Millsap and DeAndre Jordan at the conclusion of the previous season.

With Harrell, Philadelphia was expected to get a player who wouldn't be afraid to go out and fight in the paint, securing rebounds and putting up shots, and that is exactly who they got.

Despite fouling out against the Nets, Harrell provided the Sixers with five offensive rebounds, helping retain possession against a team who is capable of capitalizing on fast break opportunities.

Harrell's shot selection has been another of the former Sixth Man of The Year's admirable traits, as he is shooting with 63 percent, with ten of his eleven shots coming within the paint.

Furkan Korkmaz

Last year was a downgrade for Korkmaz, as his offensive numbers dropped across the board, whether it was raw production or accuracy; it was a down year, to say the least.

Granted, Korkmaz was struggling with multiple issues, which he elaborated on in September, and spent a whole lot of time during the offseason making progress towards getting back to full health and effectiveness, and it has more than paid off.

Against the Nets, Korkmaz put up 15 points while being 2-4 from three-point land, yet the most impressive part of the Turkish guard's game has been his improved handles. Instead of taking shots from the outside, like he has been known to do, Korkmaz has started to cut into the paint more, trying for layups instead.

While Wednesday's game is more than enough proof to show that Korkmaz still needs to get back into the rhythm of shooting from deep, he is using his height to his advantage, grabbing 12 rebounds so far.

Shake Milton

The 2022-23 season is a big one for Milton, as his contract expires at the end of the season. So, every minute from the preseason to the end is crucial. His performance in his preseason debut was lackluster, putting up four points on 1-6 shooting across 18 minutes.

Despite the poor outing, Milton didn't let that impact the way he'd play in the Wells Fargo Center on Monday, scoring 12 points, helping out with five assists, and coming up with four rebounds.

These are the numbers reminiscent of the Milton who helped the team reach Game 7 of the conference semi-finals in 2021, which is just another reason why Rivers still rates the shooting guard so highly in his squad.

Declan Harris contributes to All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him on Twitter: @DecIanH.

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