Let’s start by stating all relevant disclaimers up front.
Even though it’s only November, when does the NBA regular season start to matter? Holidays? in the middle of January? Trade cutoff date?
The Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks, the 76ers’ most formidable opponents in the Eastern Conference, have less room for growth. The Sixers are still attempting to find an appropriate rotation because they lack the continuity of their competitors.
A few “ifs” have the potential to ruin the Sixers. They will lose significant ground in terms of competitiveness if Joel Embiid is hurt. They will be hampered if the bench is empty. And another problem might arise if Kelly Oubre Jr. doesn’t make a quick recovery. In the eight games he has missed, his absence has been felt. With that said, let’s get to the point: It’s difficult to determine the Sixers’ exact level of skill and potential.
They triumphed over the Oklahoma City Thunder, 127-123, at Paycom Center on Saturday. After sitting out the Sixers’ loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, Embiid led the team with 35 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists, and four blocks. In OKC, he used the foul line to score the final six points for the Sixers. Tyrese Maxey finished with 28 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists to erase memories of a season-worst performance against the Timberwolves.
More significantly, though, is that the Sixers are now 11-5 and share the second-best record in the Eastern Conference with the Orlando Magic and Milwaukee Bucks. They also ended a two-game losing streak and defeated the Thunder (11-5) to move to 5-4 against teams that are currently in winning positions.
They have already played twice, winning the first meeting against the Celtics (12-4) and the Indiana Pacers (9-6) respectively. The Phoenix Suns and Atlanta Hawks were the two other winning teams that the Sixers defeated. They defeated the Hawks by a score of double digits (8–7). The Suns (10-6) were without All-Star guards Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, so their victory comes with a caveat.
However, a large portion of the Sixers’ difficulties have occurred while Oubre has been out with a broken rib. In eight games, five of which he started, the small forward averaged 16.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.4 steals.
His offensive presence made room for Embiid and Maxey to develop into the best two-man team in the league. Tobias Harris also had more scoring opportunities thanks to Oubre. And with him in the starting lineup, the Sixers were possibly the deepest team in the league. They were able to remove rookies Nic Batum and Robert Covington from the bench as a result.
However, with Oubre out, Batum began his fifth Sixers game on Saturday. Furthermore, with Oubre out for three games due to personal reasons, Covington was forced to start in Batum’s place.
The Sixers had one of the best defenses in the league with Oubre. They’ve had some difficulties without him. Before this Saturday’s game, the Sixers had allowed 117.4 points per 100 possessions, good for 20th place in the league in defensive efficiency. This is based on their last seven games.
However, head coach Nick Nurse won’t accept Oubre’s absence as justification.
“Everyone experiences this,” Nurse said on Saturday to The Inquirer. “Everyone is constantly bringing guys in and out, so we need to figure out how to fill in the gaps.”
Oubre may make a comeback this week following a reevaluation in the next few days. And when he does return, the Sixers will undoubtedly be waiting to greet him.
With a home game against the Los Angeles Lakers (10-7) on Monday, two road games against the New Orleans Pelicans (9-8) on Wednesday and the Boston Celtics on Friday, their schedule doesn’t get any easier.
When the quarterfinalists are revealed on Monday night, they will learn who they will play in the NBA In-Season Tournament and whether they will play next week. It is unlikely that the Sixers will be selected as the Eastern Conference’s wild card. They will be assigned two regular-season games for the following week if they are not selected.
The Sixers will improve once everyone is healthy and they work things out, that much is certain. After acquiring Batum, Covington, Marcus Morris Sr., and KJ Martin from the Clippers on November 1, Nurse is still attempting to determine a rotation.
On November 8, the Sixers defeated the Celtics 106-103, demonstrating their legitimacy. The game with a complete roster was the next-to-last one. That right, the win was evident in the Sixers’ increased depth, the impact of a new coach, and their tenacious defense.
The Sixers played strong defense against the Celtics, particularly in the paint where Boston only made 15 of 47 three-pointers.
They applied pressure to Boston’s All-NBA wing duo of Jayson Tatum and Brown. With 11 points on 4-for-13 shooting and four turnovers, Brown tied a season low. On 6-for-14 shooting, Tatum scored a season-low 16 points.
“We’re good, baby!” was the clear message sent to the Boston Celtics and the entire basketball community.
Can they finally make it past the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2001, when they’re healthy? Do they have a chance to win an NBA championship? Or will they continue to be a strong regular-season team that wins 50–55 games but is doomed to collapse in the postseason?
How good the Sixers are is yet to be determined.