Most teams have already played about 4 games at least, so let’s overreact to some of their performances. Granted, it’s only been a week, and we have a long way to go. Please don’t take this analysis too personally!
The 76ers. Oh, man! They’re currently 1-4, and the only victory they secured was against the Indians Pacers—a team tanking for French superstar draftee Victor Wembanyama. So, really, the Sixers lost all of their games against teams who’re actually trying. The 76ers have James Harden, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Tobias Harris, yet they haven’t won a legitimate game? What’s going on?
Joel Embiid’s not playing at an MVP level.
Once again, we’re only less than two weeks into the season. Players notoriously arrive out-of-shape to the court (Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal was a big offender). But, when you’re an MVP favorite for many fans and media personalities, being out-of-shape is inexcusable.
Joel Embiid’s play has been slacking to start the season – Dane Delgado, NBC Sports
Joel Embiid statistically looks fine—27.6 PPG (points per game) on 52% from the field is no joke. However, numbers don’t give the full picture. Embiid has been sluggish overall; we shouldn’t expect super fast-pace play from a team ran by Embiid and Harden, but his physical sluggishness on the defensive end is unforgivable.
Moreover, Embiid’s weird tendency to fall to the ground after every play only increases his chance of injury; the dude misses time every year for injury, so what’s his goal? Embiid’s game relies heavily on free throws, but his flopping has reached embarrassing levels.
What’s funny is that James Harden looks like the first-option, superstar player. Embiid posts a net rating of -14, meaning his team succumbs points to the opponent when he steps on the floor. On the other hand, Harden’s +16 net rating shines hope, but Harden alone can’t carry this team.
Unless Embiid improves, this roster won’t go far because of its top-heavy nature.
The players off the bench must do better.
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The 76ers’ Four Bench Players – Sean Kennedy, Liberty Ballers
Championships are not one-man shows as they’re glorified to be. Michael Jordan wouldn’t win his six rings without rebounding and defensive help from his team. LeBron James and the Lakers (they’re another hot topic right now) don’t win the 2020 championship without the great defense and three-point shooting of their non-superstar players. Essentially, you need roster depth to win a championship.
This 76ers team eyes for a championship, but their depth is embarrassingly lacking. They have the worst transition defense (stopping scoring off of fast-break opportunities). While Embiid takes decent blame for this poor defense, the bench hasn’t given much to the currently out-of-shape superstar.
Offensively, their lackluster play screws the 76ers out of tough games. PJ Tucker scores 5 points; Georges Niang scores 5.4 points; Daniel House scores 3.2 points—the bench clearly can’t help their two star-level players.
Given his recent injury history, Harden shouldn’t be playing nearly 37 minutes a game. The bench must score better on the opportunities Harden can create. But, when your leading superstar doesn’t do his job properly, you really can’t expect much from the bench.
Please fire Doc Rivers
Horrible offense off the bench. Terrible transition defense. One win against a ranking team. Coaching can resolve these problems given this roster’s top-end talent, but Doc Rivers can’t be your solution.
Coach Doc Rivers is currently on the hot seat given the 76ers’ abysmal start – Mike Chiari, Bleacher Report
The only notable accomplishment in Coach Rivers’s career was the 2008 Celtics championship. His whole career simply leeched off that one moment. He had Chris Paul and a prime Blake Griffin on his roster, but the team couldn’t even break past the second round.
The main reason for Rivers’s failures is his inability to make player adjustments. If the current game plan doesn’t work, Rivers just sits there and watches the disaster ensue rather than substitute players out and draw out a new game plan. If you can’t do basic coaching tasks, why’re you on this roster? The 76ers should’ve fired Rivers after the infamous choke against the Hawks in 2021. Daryl Morey seems like a smart guy, so maybe make this obvious move?
Unless the 76ers find competent coaching that can maximize the bench and draw out creative plays besides isolations and foul-baiting, they can’t reach their contender ceiling. Embiid will get back into shape, but the clock’s ticking on his body quickly. The Eastern Conference—especially the Giannis-led Bucks and Tatum-led Celtics—looks stronger than ever before. So, can the 76ers do it? We’re going to lean toward no.
10/28/2022 at 4:46 PM
I’m a Sixers fan, and you summed it up perfectly. Coaching has been our weakness for years, and the switch from Brett Brown to Doc has barely been noticeable. This roster is underperforming, but nonetheless, when our best perimeter defender is averaging one minute a game, that is a coaching issue. Nearly everything needs to be improved besides Harden’s play soon or it’s gonna be too late.
11/11/2022 at 3:46 PM
I feel like this blog post sums up every thought I have about my favorite team, the 76ers. Right of the bat, PLEASE FIRE DOC RIVERS! He is really bad, makes poor decisions (especially in the clutch), and can’t adjust to save his life. If we truly want to win a championship, it isn’t going to be through him. We might as well take our chances with someone else and hope for the best. I agree that Embiid isn’t playing his best basketball, but I am not too worried. One player who you didn’t mention as much is Tyrese Maxey. He is playing amazingly! If we can get Embiid going and keep Harden and Maxey’s level of play, we could go far in the playoffs and maybe win a championship. Our bench has always been an issue, especially when we spend the money we do on our starters. However, I really like Niang and PJ Tucker is gritty. At least Ben Simmons isn’t on the team anymore, though! Keep up the good work!
11/29/2022 at 5:20 PM
I promised myself I was going to keep up with basketball this year, and I only stuck with that for the first couple weeks of the season. When I was watching the Sixers, James Harden seemed like a big problem to me. Fortunately players like Tyrese Maxey really seemed to pick up his slack in the games I watched. Hopefully Joel Embiid gets back in shape like you predict and the Sixers are able to perform better throughout the rest of the season.
12/12/2022 at 2:19 AM
As a Sixers fan, this one hits home. It was sad to see the rough start to this season with everything else going so good sports wise in Philly, but things seem to be changing. As I am sitting here, Joel Embiid has just dropped his 53 point of the game, and has been playing like the MVP we need. Happy to see the Sixers have finally found their groove this season.
01/13/2023 at 5:43 PM
I’m not a huge NBA fan, so I’m not well versed in the ins and outs of the 76ers. However, from my experience, and from what I’ve heard, I don’t have much hope for this team. My uncle who is a huge fan constantly complains about Doc Rivers’ inability to make adjustments, and every game I see is sabotaged by lazy defense and Embiid’s horrible shot selection. I think that people are starting to get tired of “the process.” After all, trust is not given, it’s earned. We need to see some results here.