Nick Nurse listens to the plea of ​​76ers fans and makes a crucial change in the lineup

Needing to stop their heavy bleeding, both literally and figuratively, the Philadelphia 76ers first had to end their losing streak in the first game. The jury is starting to doubt their real chances of even making the playoffs, and the tension surrounding the franchise is increasing.

And just to breathe a little relief, the 76ers did just that last night, suffering an upset five-game loss at home to the Brooklyn Nets. Despite the absence of Joel Embiid, who arrived late due to injury, the team put in a great performance on both sides and picked up their first win in ten long days.

Jared McCain, who scored 30 points, and Tyrese Maxey, who scored 26 points despite a minutes restriction, led the team in scoring, but beyond that, the 76ers got solid performances from almost every player. One thing we can’t just gloss over, however, is that Nick Nurse is finally making a significant change in the lineup, which should be huge given Embiid’s short-term absence.

With Embiid sidelined, Nurse turned to Guerschon Yabusele to fill the starting center spot – a big departure from his standard move of veteran starter Andre Drummond. This move paid immediate dividends and should give the 76ers a better chance to get off to better starts without their superstar in the meantime.

In fact, Yabusele didn’t shoot the ball as well as he has so far this season, but his impact was pretty brisk from the start. His presence allowed the 76ers to create even more spacing offensively, which helped McCain and Maxey destroy the Nets’ defense.

Yabusele was a 42.4 percent three-point shooter at the time of writing and has already shown that he can function as a reliable floor defender. When he starts games, the 76ers’ dynamic backcourt gets going much quicker than when Drummond occupies the spot.

Yabusele’s quick decision-making was also a breath of fresh air in contrast to Drummond’s very limited ability at it. The attack on goal simply seemed much more deliberate, as the Frenchman used his mobility to attack final balls and conquer space.

Drummond’s move as a consequence should also help mitigate his poor play to date. At this point in his career, he is clearly much more comfortable displaying his skills against substitutes. Hopefully this continues.

Nick Nurse finally made a much-needed tweak to the lineup to smooth out the boundaries in the absence of two All-Stars. Hopefully this could be the kickstarter to success after an otherwise terrible start for the Philadelphia 76ers, at least for now with Joel Embiid out.