Hornets Swarm 0-13 Sixers

By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)

Charlotte 113, Philadelphia 88 – Box Score

A trend has developed the last few weeks where when asked about the Philadelphia 76ers, every single opposing coach and player says almost verbatim, “That team always comes at you hard, you can never let up.” It’s become the go-to phrase for people who can’t just come out and say that the team is terrible and they’re not the least bit worried about them. While it at least used to be the truth through much of last season and the early part of this month, with another disinterested loss by the Sixers Friday night in Charlotte, such statements are simply becoming bold-faced lies.

The Sixers did a terrible job defensively, allowing the Hornets to shoot 12-25 from behind the arc. That stat line wasn’t a result of some incredibly hot shooting by Charlotte though; more often than not, they had all day long to get their shot off with no Sixers defender in the vicinity. 13 of Charlotte’s 25 three-pointers last night were classified as ‘wide open’, no Sixers defender within 6 feet. 9 of the remaining 12 were simply ‘open’. Stephanie Ready mentioned on the Charlotte broadcast that it was as though the Sixers had scouted last year’s version of the Hornets and not the current iteration that is among the most three-point-happy teams in the league.

Meanwhile, the Sixers made the controversial move to bring their best player off the bench, with Nerlens Noel hitting the pine in order to separate more of the minutes between he and Jahlil Okafor. Why the team is benching the guy who carried them to a top-12 defensive rating last year and not the one killing the team’s defense while not exactly being Mr. Efficiency on the offensive end, I don’t know. Brett Brown indicated lineup decisions would be based on matchups going forward.

Either way, neither of those guys had any answer for Al Jefferson, who went off for 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocks. Big Al dropped 14 in the first quarter alone to provide early warning that it was going to be a long night for Sixers faithful. Noel does not look right defensively, as it’s pretty clear either his wrist or knee is bothering him. He once again had zero blocks or steals, which is crazy for a guy who averaged around 2 of each last season. Okafor just doesn’t look like he cares about playing help defense half the time. If last night’s performance is any indication, Hassan Whiteside is going to eat him alive when the Sixers take on Miami tonight.

Positives (of which there were few):

• Nik Stauskas hit some shots! Sauce Castillo went 3-8 from distance, helping the Sixers cut the deficit to 11 in what was a rare, good third quarter for the team. He’s been getting a ton of open looks every game, so if he could actually start nailing a few, it would do worlds of good to help open up the interior for the Sixers big men.
• Jerami Grant continues to play well as more of a power forward alongside either Noel or Okafor. He recorded 12 points on 6-9 shooting and 5 rebounds against the Hornets. There are times when Grant looks like the only Sixer on the floor playing with any sort of energy as he attacks the offensive glass and tries to block shots on the weak side. Grant provided the best highlight of the night with this rim-rattling dunk in the face of Frank Kaminsky.

Jerami Grant throws it down with authority! https://t.co/z0aMhm4Plp

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 21, 2015

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Now at 0-13, the Sixers are inching closer to the record of 18 straight losses to start the season, set by the 2009-10 Nets. Facing a Miami Heat team off to a great start at 7-4, the Sixers will likely be moving even closer after tonight.