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There were high expectations for the Philadelphia 76ers coming into this season. Now over a quarter of the way through the year and sitting at 12-12, the outlook does not look as promising. The inconsistent and frustrating play has driven fans crazy and justifiably dropped them down the power rankings. In the most recent rankings voted on by a panel of ESPN analysts, the Sixers have fallen to 14th in the NBA Power Rankings. This is a significant fall this early in the season as they started the year fifth in the initial ESPN rankings and were eighth last week. Dropping below teams like the Kings, Mavericks, and Nets should be a necessary slap in the face for the Sixers.
As was stated in the most recent ESPN article, “A week ago, Philadelphia was three games over .500, had won seven of nine games and James Harden‘s return was on the horizon. But after three losses on that road trip — including Monday’s loss in Houston — Philadelphia has now dropped back down to .500 on the season as they begin a two-week homestand Friday against the Lakers. — Bontemps.”
Sixers Issues
There are plenty of noteworthy issues on this Sixers team. Near the top of the list is the lack of time the roster has had to build chemistry together. James Harden and Joel Embiid have each missed time with injury and Tyrese Maxey remains out due to his broken foot.
However, injuries are not an issue unique to the Sixers and the most inspiring stretch of play occurring without the team’s three best players on the floor is not encouraging. There also have been fingers pointed toward the two new additions not living up to the hype, although for the most part, the players have been exactly who they always have been- P.J. Tucker included.
Doc Rivers also catches a great deal of blame and while he can be lumped under the category of “a problem” he has not been “the problem” with this team. They rank last in the league in rebounding, 29th in possessions per game, 27th in points per game, and 24th in assists per game. The downsides of isolation basketball have been put on display and the Embiid and Harden duo have not been able to get on the same page thus far this season. The ball dominance of each player has been limiting to the rest of the team and they have not produced at the level necessary for this to be acceptable.
Outlook From Here
The bottom line is the Sixers cannot reach their ceiling as a team unless Harden and Embiid find a way to maximize each other on the court. The “my turn, your turn” style of play will not cut it against more talented teams (nor has it against some bad ones so far this year). There is plenty of time to right the ship and fix this moving forward, but there are some significant strides that need to be taken.
Finding their identity as a team is still yet to occur. Embiid spearheaded the desire to be the best defensive team in the NBA coming into the season. While they have shown flashes of this, such as recording the best defensive rating in the month of November, it should also be noted this occurred without Harden or Maxey on the court. Keeping this same level of defensive impact with two defensively challenged guards will be a difficult hurdle to clear.
Daryl Morey has made several decisions to keep the Sixers financially flexible this season. This includes cutting Charles Bassey and Isaiah Joe to free up some money and keep an open roster spot. One would assume he must have a plan or at least will be on the lookout for ways to improve the team. Cutting two young that are impressing on their new teams is a gamble that Sixers fans will jump on if it does not pay off. It does not seem likely that a singular move can fix this team completely, but there are players that could be brought in to move them in the right direction.
While plenty of mock trades will continue to get tossed around, the bottom line is this Sixers team must look themselves in the mirror and figure themselves out. Going roughly a quarter of a season without knowing the identity of this team is concerning. However, the NBA is about getting hot at the right time and Philadelphia has plenty of time for this to occur. They have an upcoming seven-game homestand without any back-to-backs. This is as good of a time as any to begin turning things around and a winning streak would go a long way toward improving their overall outlook.
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