76ers Discuss Their Biggest Concern Ahead of Raptors Matchup

The Toronto Raptors have been among the league's best offensive rebounding teams all year and it has the Philadelphia 76ers on high alert ahead of the playoffs

Aaron Rose | Apr 12, 2022

Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

One word kept popping up at Philadelphia 76ers practice Tuesday afternoon: Rebounding.

It's the thing that scares teams most about the Toronto Raptors. No, they aren't the most talented team in the league, they don't have the best shooters, and can't dominate in the half-court, but when it comes to the possessions battle, there's nobody better.

On the offensive glass, the Raptors are almost uncontainable. They'll send two or three bodies to the rim, overwhelming opposing teams with their size and tenacity. For the season, Toronto grabbed offensive rebounds on nearly a quarter of their misses, finishing second in the league in that category.

"We have to match their intensity and play as hard as they do," Tyrese Maxey told reporters. "We’ve really been talking about that a lot. Then really, defensive rebounding. Getting back in transition and defensive rebounding. If we do those two things, then I think we’re in good shape.”

That's easier said than done, of course. In Toronto's three victories over the 76ers this season, the Raptors have grabbed 48 offensive boards and generated 66 second-chance points.

"The rebounding as a whole has been our weak spot in those games," Tobias Harris told reporters. "We know that if we’re able to rebound and get out and run and be at the pace, we want to be at, then we will be successful. It’s gonna be a tough series, but we’re up for the challenge.”

Defensive rebounding has been a bit of an issue for the 76ers all season. They rank 19th in the league in defensive rebounding percentage and get even worse when Joel Embiid sits for any amount of time. In Paul Reed's minutes at center, Philadelphia gives up offensive rebounds on nearly 32.9% of missed shots, a percentage that pegs them for last in the league in that category, per Cleaning the Glass.

"We’re going to have to guard the ball, and guarding the ball is connected to rebounding. Like, the better we guard the ball, the better we’re going to rebound," 76ers coach Doc Rivers told reporters. "The better we keep the ball out of the paint, the better we’re gonna rebound. The better we can not help, the more we’ll be able to rebound. If you see the ball in the paint, and you see us helping a lot, you’re gonna see a lot of offensive rebounds, and we know that. So, we have to be better on the ball.”

The Raptors aren't going to make that easy. They're going to get into the 76ers and try to eke out any marginal advantage they can find. In this case, it'll be about exploiting Philadelphia on the offensive glass and taking advantage of those precious few minutes when Embiid goes to the bench.

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