National Basketball Association

October Recap Philadelphia 76ers

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 10:27 p.m. ET

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The Philadelphia 76ers sputtered into the 2016-2017 NBA season. But how is the team doing in the grand scheme of things?

The Philadelphia 76ers are in the midst of another losing streak. Right now, that stands at six (the team has not won since an April 5th victory over the New Orleans Pelicans). If the team cannot defeat the Orlando Magic today at 7 PM, the Philadelphia 76ers may be in for a bit of a drought in the success department. The next true chance for a victory arrives on Saturday, November 19, against the Phoenix Suns in Philadelphia.

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But right now, losing streaks are the last thing on the minds of Head Coach Brett Brown.

Despite a complete changing of the guard at the front office, the team finds itself right back where it left off to begin the 2015-2016 season. Deja Vu? More like recurring nightmare.

But if you were expecting a fast start to the season, that’s upon you. This team was expected to start slow and finish respectively, and so far the team is on that track. But what was not expected was the proliferation of injuries to the roster at season’s opening for the second season in a row. It surprised everyone when Jerryd Bayless discovered disappointing results following up on a wrist injury after being named the starting point guard. Once more, the team would scramble for the starting point guard.

Sep 26, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Ben Simmons (25) and forward Robert Covington (33) shoot at the basket from the second floor balcony during media day at the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Simply Sliding At The Start

But it was more than an injured wrist. Top draft choice Ben Simmons found rough going in practice and fractured his foot, benching him until no earlier than January 2017. Disgruntled Nerlens Noel developed a sore groin which led to an injured knee which led to sustained time off.

The season is just started and 20% of the roster is out for the foreseeable future.

Winning is nice, but it’s the path of when wins occur that is critical for the team this season. If the team began with success, but ended the season in a slump, that could be very damaging for the team’s mindset.

Right now the team is struggling offensively. Without the offense of Joel Embiid (who is on minutes restrictions) or Sergio Rodriguez, the team is simply unable to score consistantly.

While the 76ers are young and unfamiliar with one another in the same lineup, the offense of the team is much lower than expected, particularly at the wings. Until Henderson (who was himself injured) and Covington settle in, this team will struggle.

Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; A general view of a video board displaying all thirty draft picks in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

Good News For 2017 NBA Draft

Bad news on the basketball court can persuade a team’s fan base to look ahead to the NBA Draft. That’s almost an annual routine for the fans of the Philadelphia 76ers. If all things stay the same, the Philadelphia 76ers will be looking for another high lottery draft pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Since that draft is loaded with talent, the optimism remains high if the 76ers are able to select in the top five selections in a draft that has plenty of talent at the top.

But it’s not just the Philadelphia 76ers season that determines the outcome of the 2017 NBA draft. The team also receives the first round pick of the Los Angeles Lakers, rights to swap first round picks with the Sacramento Kings, and two second round picks (best and worst) from Utah Jazz, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, and Golden State Warriors.

The key this season is an improved Los Angeles Lakers team, already boasting an early victory. If the Lakers end up the season as the 26th team, the Philadelphia 76ers will have a 70.8 percent chance of using that pick, and a 62.1 percent chance of it falling in the top six. While the swap with the Sacramento Kings looks unlikely, they will continue to hold even the slightest chance of ending up in the top three picks of the 2017 NBA draft.

So the month of October is promising for the draft.

Oct 21, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown looks on in the game against the Miami Heat during the first half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

What’s Next?

Right now, the Philadelphia 76ers must use the NBA equivalent of the “rope-a-dope”. In short, the team is stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Brown: Injuries ‘have caught us all off guard. We just need to buy some time.’ #Sixers

— Tom Moore (@tmoore76ers) October 31, 2016

While the early season schedule has been sparse, the team will begin to face back to back games. With that hurdle, the team will be forced to address the center position.How?

Sounds like Embiid’s limit will be 24 Tues and Okafor 24 Wed. Expect to see Saric play some center. #Sixers

— Tom Moore (@tmoore76ers) October 31, 2016

And so, Richaun Holmes and Dario Saric will get some playing time at the center position. Does anyone recall the argument about not enough time to go around to all of the team’s centers? Well that’s not how it’s happening so far.

Upcoming Schedule

Meanwhile the team will continue to address the challenge at the point guard position. Sergio Rodriguez appears to be in control of the starting minutes so far.

The remainder of the time will likely fall to capable backup T.J. McConnell. While there remains some confusion as to the long-term outlook for point guard, Rodriguez’s performance has quelled concerns there for the time being.

Meanwhile, the team is struggling desperately on the wings. Both Gerald Henderson and Robert Covington were shut out when the team lost to the Atlanta Hawks. While the season is still early, that offensive drought will only complicate the team’s ability to develop going forward.

This month, the Philadelphia 76ers face three teams with sub-.500 projections: The Orlando Magic, the Phoenix Suns, and the Sacramento Kings. With 17 games in just 30 days, the team will be hard pressed to find any positive momentum.

Sep 26, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Jerryd Bayless (0) during media day at the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Patience For Now

We’ve been here before. The team needs just a small sliver of success to give Brett Brown opportunity to see what works and what does not. Perhaps the mini-slump of either Dario Saric, Robert Covington, or Gerald Henderson will vanish as mysteriously as they arrived?

Perhaps Richaun Holmes will earn a more significant role with the team, and bring his 70 percent shooting accuracy to help pull the team’s nose up from this dive. Perhaps Nik Stauskas will emerge as that “sharpshooter” Sam Hinkie envisioned when he traded for him in 2015.

Perhaps the team will improve upon the 28.6 percent accuracy from three-point range?

#Sixers Covington: ‘We’ve been getting a lot of good (3-point) looks. The same ones that aren’t falling now are going to fall later.’

— Tom Moore (@tmoore76ers) October 31, 2016

And so is the way of basketball. Sometimes the shots fall, sometimes they don’t. Now is not the time to panic, and from the comments so far, everyone is calm cool and collected.

Brown has been here before, each year he has coached this team. He understands the complexities of finding the right combination on the floor, and the patience needed to let it happen.

October was a dark night with two very bright stars shining. Dawn will come soon enough. Enjoy the starlight fans.

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