Tale of Two Units as Pistons Wallop Sixers

By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)

Detroit 107, Philadelphia 95 – Box Score

Friday afternoon saw a lot of positive energy surrounding the Philadelphia 76ers organization. First, the team held a press conference to announce that Brett Brown had received a 2-year extension to coach the team through the 2018-19 season. It was a great sign of confidence in the man who has exhibited the patience of a saint overseeing the first stage of this rebuild. I think we all want to see what Brown can do with a legitimate NBA roster.

Then, GM Sam Hinkie went 1-on-1 with Zach Lowe and among many other interesting tidbits, stated he “remains confident in his power” within the organization. Whether or not he’s just in the dark about what’s actually going on, the interview served as some stability for a fanbase sort of looking for something to grasp on to following a turbulent week. Personally, I felt better about the Sixers not drastically changing course after coming so far with this rebuild.

Of course, being Philadelphia, the good vibes couldn’t last, as once the action on the hardwood got underway, the Sixers quickly fell behind 27-7 to Pistons. Andre Drummond was an absolute force of nature on the glass, finishing with a whopping 11 offensive rebounds (16 total) to go along with 18 points and 4 blocks. Reggie Jackson effectively worked the pick-and-roll game to the tune of 21 points.

Luckily for the Sixers, the Detroit bench has been awful all season, and that held true in this game, allowing the Sixers to climb back into the game. Whereas every Pistons starter was at least a +27 on the night, every Detroit bench player had a negative plus-minus. Philadelphia cut the deficit to as little as 4 points. Jahlil Okafor was able to feast on Pistons backup center Aron Baynes; Big Jah finished the game with 22 points on 10-18 shooting.

Eventually, the Detroit starting unit would return to action however, and another 14-0 Pistons run in the third quarter put the game away for the visitors. The loss dropped Philadelphia to 1-23 on the season and although the team certainly didn’t play great against Detroit’s first unit, there was at least one huge positive: the Sixers debut of Kendall Marshall. Marshall was limited to 16 minutes coming off ACL surgery, but looked the part of the point guard the Sixers have longed for this year. Kendall finished with 6 assists (remember, in just 16 minutes) and would have recorded a lot more if the big men didn’t look so surprised to be receiving perfect pocket passes.

Once Marshall (and Wroten, who sat out this game) are both back up to speed, not only should it spell the end of Isaiah Canaan, late-game point guard, but it should also result in some more wins on a more regular basis. For a Sixers fan base that’s been waiting forever for this team to come around, greatness is still very far down the road, but a reasonable degree of respectability might be right around the bend.