All stats accurate as of Nov. 29, 2017
What was once an excruciatingly long process still in the making has quickly shifted into something special happening right before our eyes. The Philadelphia 76ers have spent the last several years at the bottom of the standings, slowly piecing together a team through the draft lottery that would make the long wait worth it. “The Process” in Philly has seen plenty more downs than ups. Multiple key injuries to formerly unseen superstars Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid stuttered what were suppose to be rebuilding years. Hopes have been high coming into this season for the extremely young Sixers squad and a playoff berth isn’t expected, but it also wouldn’t be a surprise. 20 games into the season, this Sixers team is thinking about more than just making the playoffs.
The 76ers have jumped out to an 11-8 record, good for the fifth overall seed in an expectedly weak Eastern Conference. We only saw glimpses of Joel Embiid’s all-around basketball brilliance last season and nothing from Ben Simmons, but fans knew the talent was there. It was just a matter of how much talent and whether or not the buildup of injuries would delay their development even further. So far this season, both players are making preseason predictions look foolish. Joel Embiid is off his minutes restriction and showing off post moves that can only be compared to Hakeem Olajuwon’s. Ben Simmons is already drawing comparisons to LeBron James and Magic Johnson. While that might sound ridiculous when said aloud, there hasn’t been another player with this special of a skillset comparable to LeBron or Magic since those two Hall-of-Famers came into the league many years ago.
Head coach Brett Brown is proving to be a top-tier coach, taking the endless amounts of young, raw talent that makes up his roster and turning it into a team that is a threat to beat anyone in the league on any given night. What was once viewed as a collection of unproven players (excluding J.J. Redick) has morphed into a collection of players who value winning above all else.
The key to their success up to this point has been a combination of a few things. First, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid are playing like they’re good enough to make the All-Star team this season as they lead their team each and every game. Second, they all love to share the ball. The Sixers lead the NBA in passes per game, are second in potential assists per game and are third in both assists and secondary assists per game. A lot of that has to do with Ben Simmons – who leads the NBA in total passes per game – and his ability to survey the court with eyes in the front, back and both sides of his head. But thanks can also be granted to T.J. McConnell and Joel Embiid, who both rank among the top 25 NBA players in total passes per game.
Lastly, the Sixers are always moving the ball and constantly sprinting up the court and diving for loose balls. They sport the fourth-fastest pace in the NBA because of that speed and it makes them that much harder to defend. McConnell, Robert Covington and Redick all shoot over 40 percent from three and it’s the team’s constant ball movement that allows them to get open shot after open shot. According to the NBA’s stats site, the Sixers shoot 16.6 3-pointers per game that are considered “wide open” (where no defender is within at least six feet of the shooter), which is the eighth-most among NBA teams. They also run the floor more than just about any other team in the NBA. Only the Chicago Bulls and their plethora of young and eager prospects have covered more distance on the floor this season.
The Sixers are young, they want to run, and they can do so for hours on end. Especially second-year player Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, who leads the entire NBA in average speed when on the court, with McConnell not far behind at fourth-highest. They want to beat their opponents to the ball, not necessarily with the ball, which is also why they’re fourth in the NBA in second-chance points. They use their youth as an advantage where oftentimes it can be viewed as a weakness (this could be interesting as the season continues; as veteran teams slow down, the Sixers should be able to keep pushing).
The Sixers are eighth in the NBA in deflections thanks to the unnatural length of Ben Simmons and Robert Covington. T.J. McConnell is also one of the peskiest defenders in the NBA. He does more than just deflect passes. He gets into his defender, making them work even when they’re 50-plus feet from the basket and he knows how to do so without fouling.
Their talent level isn’t where they want it to be just yet. They’re still a few years away from most of their prospects developing into legitimate NBA starters and role players, so the shots don’t always fall. But they’ve impressed beyond belief with what they have right now, and the only thing that can slow them down is potential injuries. Speaking of which, this team doesn’t even have their no. 1 draft choice from last year, Markelle Fultz, who is still recovering from a shoulder injury.
It’s rare to come across a team such as the Sixers that is composed almost entirely of youth, yet loves to work within a system, but Brett Brown has figured it out. They’re just going to continue to get better. If the Sixers can’t beat you based on pure talent, then they’ll do so by making sure the ball never hits the ground, and if it does, they’re going to be the first ones to get there.
