Previewing the Toronto Raptors series against the Philadelphia 76ers

Raptors defense vs. 76ers offense

The Raptors defense vs. the 76ers offense will feature two top-ten units going head-to-head. According to cleaningtheglass, the Raptors finished the season with the 6th ranked defense. The 76ers finished with the 9th ranked offense.

Similar to the other side of the court, much of this matchup will come down to how the Raptors handle Embiid.

There wasn’t one sole reason why Toronto made the Marc Gasol trade. However, his post defense, specifically his defense on Embiid, had to play a significant factor.

In 108 possessions against Gasol this year, Embiid attempted 18 shots, making just six. In 70 possessions the year before, he was only 4-11. Matchup data can be fluky, and there’s no guarantee Gasol’s success will translate to Toronto. However, as one of the best post-up defenders in the league, Gasol gives the Raptors as good of a chance as anyone.

Factor in a lack of mobility due to his hobbled leg and Gasol’s chances become even better.

Toronto also stands to fare pretty well at power forward. Harris can score on anyone, but Siakam is big and fast enough to defend him reasonably. It certainly isn’t a matchup the Raptors fear or need to send help to guard.

The backcourt presents more of a problem. Like many point guards, Kyle Lowry doesn’t have anyone in the 76ers starting he can comfortably defend. JJ Redick is too active and too productive moving off the ball for Lowry to keep up. Butler is a talented isolation scorer with a decisive size advantage.

Raps will give up the size. Lowry’s offense is too essential to the team, and at 33, he can’t chase Redick all over the court and still be impactful on the other end. Lowry on Butler isn’t a great option, but it’s the one Toronto will need to deal with.

However, the 76ers offense might be come down to another match up.