The Sixers’ Danny Green is a coach on the floor who provides much more | Off the Dribble

All is not bleak, Sixers fans. Yes, the team has lost a season-high four games in a row, including Saturday’s 132-94 defeat at Milwaukee, but the schedule will lighten up beginning with Monday’s home matchup against an Oklahoma City Thunder team that has lost 13 straight.

The Sixers have to rely on their veterans for leadership at this juncture, and there is no shortage of players with extensive playoff experience. Danny Green, for instance, has been a vital part of championship teams in San Antonio, Toronto, and last year with the Los Angeles Lakers.

While his scoring has been up and down, he has become a voice that the players and coaches listen to intently. Green also has given the Sixers some solid three-point shooting and defense.

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Before Saturday’s game in Milwaukee, Sixers coach Doc Rivers was asked about Green. The questioner called Green “a coach in uniform.”

Rivers quipped, “I am scared to say he is a coach in uniform — he may start being the coach.” Then turning serious, Rivers said, “He has been great.”

Green, who will turn 34 in June, is in his 12th season. This year will be his 11th time in the postseason. What is most impressive is that he was a starter in every playoff game for the three championship teams on which he played. He started all 23 for San Antonio in 2014, all 24 for Toronto in 2019, and all 21 for the Lakers last season.

He has appeared in 145 playoff games, with 139 starts.

Rivers has often said that instructive criticism that comes from a teammate resonates more than from coaches. That’s why he gave Green some projects when the forward was acquired by the Sixers in the offseason.

» READ MORE: Sixers center Joel Embiid a late scratch from game against Bucks

“Doc was like, ‘We got a project for you to work with this guy, work on this guy’s attitude and approach and lead,’ ” Green said recently. “But these guys make it easy. My teammates, my role here, I am able to be impactful to them because of how willing they are to learn and take criticism, how open they are to ask questions.”

Green has done more than coaching on the floor. He has appeared in a team-high 59 of the Sixers’ 60 games, all starts. He is averaging 9.6 points and shooting 41.4% from three-point range, second on the team behind Seth Curry (41.8%).

According to NBA.com stats, Green leads the league in corner threes with 74. He is shooting 74-for-168 on corner threes (44%).

The ability to spread the floor and hit threes, and also defend quality perimeter players, will make Green a key figure in the postseason.

Keith Pompey writes that Injuries are denying the Sixers an opportunity to find a rhythm.

The remaining schedule gives the Sixers the edge in their quest to earn the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Ben Simmons has missed the last four games because of an illness and is out for Monday’s game against Oklahoma City, but Pompey writes that the Sixers point guard is feeling stronger.

Pompey gives his best/worst awards for Saturday’s loss at Milwaukee and notes the Sixers had the worst of both worlds: poor shooting and equally poor defense.

Pompey offers all the details of the Sixers’ latest loss.

It should never be surprising when future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant lights it up on the court, but he has battled injuries this season for the Brooklyn Nets and in recent years.

What has been amazing about Durant is how quickly he has bounced back from those injuries. After missing 23 games with a hamstring injury, KD scored 17 points in just under 19 minutes and didn’t miss a shot in a 139-111 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on April 7. In that game, Durant hit all five shots from the field, including two from three-point range and all five free throws.

He played three games, then sat out a 123-117 loss to the Sixers because it was the second game of a back-to-back. Durant then appeared in two more games, but in the second of those contests, he suffered a thigh contusion.

» READ MORE: Return to the court is a confidence boost for the Sixers’ Tobias Harris

Durant then missed the next three games before returning for Sunday’s 128-119 home win over Phoenix. He didn’t start the game, but he still played a little more than 28 minutes and scored 33 points.

Durant, who missed last season while recovering from a ruptured right Achilles tendon, has durability questions, but if he can stay healthy, the Nets will be a viable NBA title contender.

Monday: Oklahoma City Thunder at Sixers, 7 p.m., Wells Fargo Center, NBC Sports Philadelphia

Wednesday: Atlanta Hawks at Sixers, 7 p.m., Wells Fargo Center, NBC Sports Philadelphia

Friday: Atlanta Hawks at Sixers, 7 p.m. Wells Fargo Center, NBC Sports Philadelphia

Sunday: Sixers at San Antonio, 8 p.m., AT&T Center, NBC Sports Philadelphia

Next Monday: Sixers at Chicago, 9 p.m., United Center, NBC Sports Philadelphia

Question: How many players do you think will be in playoff rotation? — James Lang from Facebook

Answer: Thanks for the question, Jim. Rivers has talked about cutting his rotation in the postseason.

I think it could be up to 10 players, but they will no doubt get less time. For instance, Joel Embiid is averaging 32.1 minutes and Dwight Howard is averaging 17.4. Howard will still be a presence in the playoffs, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Embiid goes up to 36 minutes, if not more. I think George Hill will get significant time at either guard spot. Matisse Thybulle will be utilized for his defense. And Shake Milton could be that scorer off the bench.

That is nine right there. What about Furkan Korkmaz and Mike Scott? They could see time, depending on the situation, but the minutes should be drastically reduced.

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