After last night’s 111-88 loss to the Chicago Bulls, the Sixers are 0-7. This is the second straight year that the team has started the season with a long losing streak. Last year’s iteration of the team went 0-17 before grabbing their first win. Sixers fans certainly hope that this year’s team can win before the streak gets too much longer, but it may be tough. The team just frankly has not been very good to start the season. Not including last night’s blowout, Philadelphia ranks 28th in both offensive and defensive efficiency. The team’s possible slip on defense seems to have come to fruition in the early part of the season. They also rank 24th in pace, which I think is not great for the team. Sometimes the basketball is tough to watch and I can understand any frustrations that Sixers fans may have with the team. They just want the team to be good. They don’t feel like reading the takes about how the Sixers are a disgrace. And I really understand these concerns, but I think there are positives that can be taken away from the first part of this Sixers season.
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Sure, every game hasn’t been pretty. There have been ugly losses to Boston, Utah and Chicago. But there have also been close games against Orlando, Cleveland (2x) and Milwaukee. I actually think the team has looked really good in these early games, especially considering the injuries. The team has essentially played the entire year without their best wing in Covington and their best two point guards in Marshall and Wroten. When those guys come back, it allows some of the guys who have been starting to move into bench roles where they should be even better. It just rounds out the team in a way that I think makes them a legitimate basketball team. The offense has been inconsistent, but has looked fairly smooth in terms of ball movement and player movement, which should only improve as the injured guys return.
Even if we are just focusing on the present, there have been a ton of bright spots. The biggest one has been Jahlil Okafor. Jah has looked fantastic. He is averaging over 20 points per game and is shooting over 50% from the field. He has been way more efficient than I have could imagined coming into the season despite having a monstrous usage rate. I really don’t think Okafor can keep this up over a full season with the minutes he’s being asked to play. I still think he has left a lot to be desired in terms of rebounding and on the defensive end, but for right now, I am thrilled with Jahlil’s play. While we are talking about franchise cornerstone big men, we should also talk about Nerlens Noel. Noel has been great this season. He’s averaging close to 13 points and 10 rebounds per game. He has also been a defensive force, collecting 1.8 blocks and 1.7 steals per game. Nerlens has also looked a lot more confident with the ball. He probably overestimates his own offensive ability, but when he makes quick and decisive offensive moves, he looks fantastic. I also think that Nerlens and Jahlil have looked good playing together, which may been the most important think to keep track of. I have written about Noel and Okafor’s fit extensively in the past, and I think they have surpassed some of my expectations for them. The net rating of the pair has certainly been less than ideal (-17.9) but I think that at this point in the season and in the development of these players, the eye test is slightly more important than the stats. Sixers fans should keep an eye on these stats as the season progresses, but I think they have looked good together to the naked eye which is a bright spot.
A lot of the other young players have looked good too. TJ McConnell has looked like a legitimate NBA point guard while averaging more than 7 assists per game. He has run the offense pretty well which allows Canaan too play offball where he has been way more effective than he was at the point guard spot. Nik Stauskas has made some shots from distance despite a poor shooting percentage. He has also been really impressive as a creator in terms of being a secondary ball handler. I knew Stauskas was more than just a shooter, but this is way more than I expected. Richaun Holmes, who I irrationally love as a basketball player due to his versatility, has also been pretty good. However, some of the role players haven’t been great. I would say Jakarr (another irrational love of mine), Jerami and Hollis have been pretty poor to start the season, but there is time for them to turn it around.
Now none of this to say that the Sixers have been good to start the season or that we should laud them for their performances. There are things to be frustrated or concerned about. I think we are in serious danger of Jahlil Okafor being overworked. He has been playing well above 30 minutes per game despite being known as a guy who is not in great NBA shape. The college season is also half as long as the NBA season. I know Brown wants to get Okafor reps and that the frontcourt is ridiculously thin, but if they don’t ease up on his minutes, he will hit the rookie wall before we even get to the All-Star break. I also think that some of the defensive efforts and transition defense have just been awful. Some of it is youth and lack of knowledge but a portion of it is effort. The Sixers generally play really hard, especially considering the limited ceiling of the team in the short term, but they can definitely play smarter and harder on defense. I also think they can play faster and more efficiently on offense. The personnel is limited but, especially on after time out plays and at the end of quarters, the team has some truly bad plays that I don’t understand. Obviously Brown seems like a great coach, but there is still a lot to work on.
Still, I think these things are correctable as the young guys get more reps throughout the season. I know it sounds weird to say about a team with an 0-7 start, but I think this has been a pretty good start this season. The Utah game was an unmitigated disaster, but outside of that, even in the blowout losses, the team has shown a lot of positive things. I do wish that the Sixers could have done better record wise to start the season, but I am fairly happy with how the team has looked. I think the team will improve by leaps and bounds once the injured guys come back and looking at some of the other teams in the league (Lakers and Nets) I still think the Sixers avoid being the worst team in the league for the third consecutive year. Maybe that’s not a high bar, but I don’t think Sixers fans should be embarrassed or ashamed by the start. The team really has shown some bright spots and a lot of things point towards a bright future despite the slow start.
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