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The Philadelphia 76ers are potentially on the cusp of greatness. Most fans realize that, but with Christmas almost here, it’s time to make a wish-list for the fan base.
The Philadelphia 76ers have had one heck of a season so far. With the debut of Joel Embiid, the fan base has been buzzing with excitement over the last few weeks, and most fans begin beaming with happiness any chance they get to talk about the 7-foot-2 big man that can hit 3-pointers.
Among the great season Sixers fans have had the chance of watching so far this season, they still sit in the bottom two teams of the NBA when considering overall records, something that shows little overall improvement when considering the scope of the entire league.
With so many years of losing, some fans — despite the patience that was demonstrated over the last three years — are becoming impatient.
With Christmas just about here, it’s time to get a wish-list in for the big man in the red suit. Although he does better with toys, gadgets, and gift cards, perhaps he can work some Christmas magic and get some necessary pieces to fall into place for the Sixers this holiday season that will progress their rebuild at a faster rate than it’s currently going.
We may see some of these items come to fruition very soon, and others may take up to a few seasons to play out how we want them to. It is the season for wishing, after all, though, so no dream can be too big on the ultimate Sixers fan’s wish-list.
Sep 26, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Ben Simmons (25) during media day at the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Ben Simmons
Okay, I know the Philadelphia 76ers already have Ben Simmons under contract for the next four seasons, but having him, and being able to play him are two completely different things. After Simmons went down before the regular season began with a Jones Fracture in his foot, the Sixers fans have been unable to see him play in the regular season.
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His debut should come this year, but the team has not said anything other than that there is currently no timetable for his return. His regular appearances on the bench with his teammates and at practices, however, seem to imply that his recovery is going well so far.
Simmons was selected first overall in this year’s NBA Draft, and was the first Sixers first overall pick since Allen Iverson in 1996. With that precedent in mind, it’s not that far out to assume Simmons could potentially take the team to new heights.
Although he has yet to play with the full 15-man roster, Sixers fans did get a chance to see him play during the summer as a part of the Sixers Summer League team. Being able to see what he could do alongside some other NBA players only heightened the excitement for Simmons, who is said to be one of the most widely talented NBA prospects to come into the league in a very long time.
Simmons put his crafty passing on display for the Sixers in Summer League, something that will certainly help the many offensively-minded Sixers players get the ball in the hoop more often. Simmons and his actions on Twitter seem to show that he’s already good friends with a lot of the Sixers players, something that is worth considering when talking about team chemistry — an overlooked aspect of the game of basketball.
In Simmons’ absence, the Sixers have had to rely on Sergio Rodriguez being the primary ball-handler. Rodriguez has been sufficient, and has gotten good looks for important players like Joel Embiid (and has shown he can score himself when needed) but he is far less athletically gifted than Simmons.
Simmons has a few physical traits that are superior to most athletes that, when paired with his basketball I.Q., put him out of the basketball world. Rodriguez should prove to be a decent player off of the bench, but Simmons will undoubtedly be a better first choice as a ball handler than him.
Part of the Christmas wish when it comes to Simmons, of course, is health. We don’t just want to see a few sporadic games where Simmons goes off and proves he can get to the rim and pass the ball well. We want to see him do it with longevity, and without the team showing any concern for his foot or the rest of his body.
Hopefully we’ll be able to see him take the floor soon.
An injury-free team
As far as injuries are concerned with the Sixers, the ball doesn’t stop at Ben Simmons. The team has struggled all year with being able to put a fully healthy team on the court, and it has hindered them from winning as many games as they possible could have. While the Sixers have already upped their win pace from last year, some games have slipped right out from their grasp, and it’s tough not to imagine that the Sixers could have won those games if they would have had a fully healthy squad.
Whether it’s a random stomach bug that’s going around, general soreness, or a major injury, the Sixers always have a player that isn’t good to go, and it always seems to be one of the worst possible players to be sat given their matchups.
Even worse than the night-by-night injuries has been the long-term ones. Ben Simmons has been out for the first several months, and the team still has not announced a timetable for his return. Jerryd Bayless is now out for the season after several failed attempts at getting him back to playing capacity without surgery. And of course, Nerlens Noel missed the first month and a half due to injury, and it really has alienated him from the team completely.
The constant injuries have been an issue for the Sixers since the beginning of the rebuild. They didn’t get looked at as much of a downer as they could have because the team wasn’t planning on winning many games anyway. Although they still are not going to win many games this season, the team should be looking to win more games at some point soon — like, in the next few years, we would hope — and a limited amount of injuries will make that much more likely.
Above all, those of us who still support head coach Brett Brown would like to see less injuries because it will make him look more competent. Sure, injuries are part of the job description as a coach, but having to deal with what Brown has dealt with so far might be a bit more than he bargained for.
Perfect trade
Christmas time is a time for miracles, so who knows, maybe we’ll see a Christmas miracle for the Sixers unfold in the form of a perfect trade. The Sixers have way too many big men. Joel Embiid, Richaun Holmes, Jahlil Okafor, and Nerlens Noel all are centers that are pretty paint-dominant, and don’t really have a way of fitting with each other where they can all get decent playing time.
Noel made that clear when he went on a rant the night he only got eight minutes of playing time, saying, “I don’t really care who I’m playing with. I’m not an eight-minute player so I don’t know what that’s about. I don’t really care. I need to be on the court playing basketball. I think I’m too good to be playing eight minutes. Like, no, that’s crazy. That’s crazy. That’s crazy. They need to figure this s— out.”
With that in mind, moving a big man is overdue. But it looks like team president Bryan Colangelo may have waited a tad too long to trade. He even said himself recently that there have been no decent options to get a good return in a trade for the Sixers.
It’s not that the Sixers don’t have big men that are talented, it’s probably more that other teams know the Sixers need to make a trade, and therefore are going to lowball them offers, and also that Bryan Colangelo is very picky with what he considers a good deal for the team.
Whatever the case, for Christmas, maybe a perfect deal will pop up. That’s certainly what Sixers fans are hoping. An ideal trade — in my mind, at least — would move a minimum of one of the big men (that meaning either Nerlens Noel and/or Jahlil Okafor, I am not opposed to moving both), in return for a point guard that, preferably, is decent from beyond the 3-point arc and also works well off the ball. It would be nice if that guard was considered a starting-caliber player in the NBA that had two to three years left on their contract.
Wishful thinking, probably, but ’tis the season.
Last Christmas Eve, the Sixers traded for Ish Smith, and it completely changed the course of their season. Another holiday deal may be in line this year.
Limitless Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid has been nothing short of incredible this season. But why not ask for more?
Embiid, on a per-36 minute basis, is putting his rookie season in the company of some truly legendary NBA players. According to Basketball Reference, Embiid comes in third all-time per 36 minutes in rookie season scoring, and 25th in points. He’s putting himself in the company of names like Wilt Chamberlain, something that feels like a foreshadowing of how his career will go.
Of course, Embiid has been a bit limited so far this season, and that’s because of a minutes restriction the team has placed him on in order to ensure he remains healthy for as long as possible. The minute restrictions started somewhat low, but have now worked up to 26 minutes, something Embiid doesn’t even reach on some game days.
With the current restrictions in mind, Embiid has averaged 17.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 2.4 blocks per game. His per 36 minutes prove that he’s producing a lot, as he’s averaging 26.6 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 3.6 blocks per 36 minutes. It’s easy for Sixers fans minds to wander and wonder if he could put those numbers up if he got the minutes.
While it may take his body a while to get used to that type of play night by night, over the course of his career, it’s certainly a feasible goal. Embiid has the drive to give it his all every second that he’s on the floor, and him with no health restrictions would be incredibly to watch. We have seen him get seemingly exhausted on the floor, but he still gives his all, even in those situations.
I would love to see a version of Embiid that is no longer limited by playing time, and the rest of the Sixers fans would, too.
May 17, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown represents his team during the NBA draft lottery at New York Hilton Midtown. The Philadelphia 76ers received the first overall pick in the 2016 draft. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
The first overall pick
The Sixers won the NBA Draft Lottery this most recent summer and were awarded the top overall pick in the NBA draft. With it, they drafted Ben Simmons. Who’s to say they can’t do it again?
Winning the NBA Draft Lottery two years in a row is not something that is unprecedented. Since the lottery was implemented in 1985, it has been won by the same team in consecutive years two times. The Sixers don’t currently have the worst record in the NBA, which means they don’t have the odds at the best pick, but looking at the history of the lottery, it’s not always about having the worst record.
In over three decades of doing the lottery on an annual basis, the team that had the best odds to win the lottery only received the top overall pick six times, and two of those times were in the last two seasons. So, despite what the raw odds say, history tells us you’re actually more likely to get the top overall pick if you have worse odds. It doesn’t make mathematical sense, but the point is that the Sixers are in the general ball park of getting the pick, which could mean they will have it for the second year in a row.
With the top overall pick, the Sixers could really bolster what they’ve already built. They can look at their roster and see what they need, which prospects they like the best, and take their pick. They also own the Los Angeles Lakers’ first-round pick (as long as it falls outside of the top three) and have the opportunity to take the Sacramento Kings pick if it is better than their own.
While some of these holiday wishes are a bit far-out, this one just might be the one the Sixers find wrapped under the tree. Unfortunately, we won’t know for sure until May if that’s what they’ll be unwrapping.
Dec 18, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; An Arizona Cardinals fan in the grandstands dressed as Santa Claus against the New Orleans Saints at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Saints defeated the Cardinals 48-41. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Other wishes
We got a hold of Santa’s letters, and there were a lot from other Sixers fans as well. Here’s what fans want for Christmas on their Sixers wish lists.
How about some love for Richaun Holmes? @embiidsnthetrap wants Holmes to see the floor more.
Is Championship talk too soon? Our very own Bret Stuter wants to see the Sixers get a title. Something tells me it’s a bit far out from this very moment, but this is Christmas!
How about adding Markelle Fultz, one of the top NBA prospects at this point in the college basketball, to the Sixers mix? Patrick Koerbler thinks that’s a good idea.
John Ehrlichman wants Philly to get Gerald Henderson out of the starting rotation, something that isn’t necessarily a popular opinion in the fan base, but to each their own.
A new coach? A necessary item on the wish list according to @negadelphia76.
Among many things, @RapGameMaxFisch wants the Sixers to move Jahlil Okafor for Allen Crabbe.
One of the most popular wish list items was, as expected, Ben Simmons, and Fultz was a repeat wish as well. It’s clear that many Sixers fans have aligning views about what they want to happen in the coming months for the Sixers. Who knows just how many of these wishes will come true, but let’s hope at least a few of them do, and work out well for the Sixers as they do come to fruition.
From all of us here at The Sixer Sense, please have a safe, merry, and magical holiday!
