Brooklyn Nets: Breakdown, predictions for 1st-round series with 76ers

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Breaking down the reserves

Brooklyn: Spencer Dinwiddie, Caris LeVert, Ed Davis, Jared Dudley, Treveon Graham.

Philadelphia: Mike Scott, T.J. McConnell, Jonathon Simmons, Furkan Korkmaz

If there is an advantage for the Brooklyn Nets in this series, this is it. Brooklyn’s reserves averaged 47.8 points and 22.5 rebounds per game, ranking second and first respectively in the NBA.

The 76ers bench is not a strength, averaging just 16.8 minutes and 31.7 points per game. The scoring figure ranks 27th in the NBA and the minutes are 28th.

No reserve group in the NBA played more than the Nets bench at 21.4 minutes per game.

Caris LeVert enters the postseason on a serious roll and Spencer Dinwiddie will likely be a finalist for Sixth Man of the Year despite sitting out 14 games around the All-Star break with torn ligaments in his right thumb that required surgery.

Both players can run the offense and both are extremely adept at getting downhill, something that will spell trouble for backup point guard T.J. McConnell and whoever the 76ers run out at the 2 when J.J. Redick is on the bench.

That could be Furkan Korkmaz, that could be rookie Zhaire Smith or they could roll the dice with two-way player Shake Milton, another first-year player.

Ed Davis is one of the best rebounding reserves in NBA history and actually led Brooklyn with a career-high 8.6 rebounds per game this season while playing just 17.9 minutes per game.

The 76ers can roll out Boban Marjanovic, the gigantic Serbian, but he can’t go heavy minutes because he just struggles to carry his 7-foot-3, 290-pound frame up and down the floor for anything more than short bursts.

Still, Marjanovic averaged 8.2 points and 5.1 rebounds in just 13.9 minutes per game after coming to the 76ers with Tobias Harris from the LA Clippers in a February trade.

Jared Dudley has both befuddled and amused observers with his ability to be in the right place at the right time, particularly defensively, despite not having … shall we say … a classically athletic appearance to him.

In any event, the Nets appear to have a significant edge here … an edge that gets even bigger if the 76ers have to dip into the bench to fill Joel Embiid’s missing minutes.

ADVANTAGE: Nets (big)