Memphis Grizzlies

Six Sixers Things I Like and Don't Like

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 3:05 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

Fansided, Mike O'connor/FanSided via The Sixer Sense

Today, I’ll be taking a page out of the great Zach Lowe and his weekly “10 things I like and don’t like.” Here, I’ll dissect three things I like and three that I don’t. Let’s begin:

1. Joel Embiid, bigger than everyone

I’ve long held that Embiid’s two most valuable assets are his 3-point shot and simply being the biggest man on the floor.

Embiid is all of 7-2 and 250 pounds, and the most physically imposing NBA star since Shaquille O’Neal. What’s most terrifying is that he doesn’t even know how to harness it just yet.

Embiid’s progression is extremely atypical. Embiid’s college highlights are a tantalizing compilation of ball fakes, spin moves, and half-hooks. After ascending to the NBA, Embiid has morphed into a physically commanding behemoth capable of bullying the bullies.

Embiid’s college to NBA transition is the antithesis of the most players’ adjustments. He traded less ballerina for more bruiser.

This play is just ridiculous. This is a shot that a very select group of players have ever been capable of doing. It’s the Wilt Chamberlain “I’m bigger than you” shot. He shoots right handed, over his right shoulder. His body is perpendicular to the basket. Marcin Gortat is 6-10, by the way.

Just imagine when he learns how to play basketball.

2. The Jahlil Okafor-Joel Embiid Experiment

This just might be the basketball equivalent of wearing a striped sweater with plaid pants. Let’s start with some quick stats here.

Yikes. Sure, you could quickly label Jahlil Okafor as the antagonist here. But it’s worth noting that lineups with only Okafor are more effective defensively than lineups with both.

In lineups with both big men, opponents are shooting 48 percent from three (albeit on 25 attempts) compared to 35 percent on the season overall. The slightest mishap in rotations makes them susceptible to a 3-point barrage. To mitigate that risk, the Sixers have tried to experiment with these lineups during a time when they face several consecutive teams with traditional power forwards.

Luckily, it does seem that this experiment was a planned endeavor and that the experiment will be winding down soon. Just keep your eyes covered for the next four or five games.

3. Nik Stauskas, getting there

Look, I like Nik Stauskas. He makes quick, smart decisions that will pay major dividends when the game slows down for him and his body continues to improve. Perhaps the most telling statistic to point to his decision making is that he ranks in the 94th percentile in points per possessions off screens, per synergy. Translation: when given a set of moving variables, he knows what decision to make. Acknowledge the patience here.

He knows what reactions will result from his actions. As he figures out how to better use his physical tools to his advantage, he’ll be dangerous.

A lot of his misses look like this:

And a lot of his turnovers look like this:

I rarely find Stauskas’ mind in the wrong place. I’m all in on “poor man’s Manu Ginobili.”

4. Ersan Ilyasova: The Professional Flopper

Flopping is garbage. I have no respect for it at any level of hoops. If your value as a player is contingent upon deceiving referees, you don’t deserve to be on the floor.

The most common defense for single instances of flopping is that the player is willing to do whatever it takes to win the game. I’m reminded of one of my all-time favorite quotes from one of my youth league coaches: “We never lose our character over a game.”

Ilyasova has seemed to have a positive locker room impact on the young Sixers. He provides a composed veteran presence and even earned the nickname “the Professional.”

But the flopping is tough to stomach. He received a warning on November 25th for his flop against the Memphis Grizzlies. That oughta show him. The league should listen to Jeff Van Gundy and tighten up their rules.

Next: Joel Embiid, Social Media King

5. Joel Embiid’s social media presence

Embiid can be as outlandish as he pleases and we still enjoy it. Exhibit A: voting himself an All-Star so that he can date an anonymous famous woman (let’s be real, it’s probably Rihanna).

Joel Embiid is everything the Sixers’ needed both on and off the court. Embiid has brought continued positive spotlight back to the Sixers for the first time since the Iverson days.

Embiid knows the way to fans’ hearts. Play hard on the court, and show them love off of it. Embiid coining the nickname, “The Process” and playing like an All-Star is everything that Hinkie-era fans deserved. To put it in perspective, there are many casual NBA fans who are unfamiliar with Hinkie’s process, but know Joel as “The Process.”

We have never lived in an era where fans can connect with NBA players through one click, and we have also never seen a player that is as social media savvy as Joel. He is our treasure.

6. Robert Covington, not figuring out how to drive

The progression of players’ jump shots if often difficult to track. Sample size combined with the near invisible line between a make and a miss can make statistics deceiving. Even Danny Green clocked in at 33 percent last season despite shooting 40.7 percent for his career and 46 percent so far this season.

Production at the rim, however, is not nearly as fickle. Covington has exhibited little to no progress in his ability to attack the basket, and is now resorting to simply driving less.

The vast majority of Covington’s misses look like this:

It’s almost as if Covington has just dipped his hand in a puddle of grease before going up for each layup.

He seems to not trust his own momentum at times. He often mistimes his jumps and feels like he needs to throw the ball in. Bear in mind also his fouls drawn percentage decreasing over the past three years. That tells me that Covington is starting to shy away from contact, and therefore, from the rim.

Covington is still an extremely useful player, and not every player in the league can be expected to deposit gentle finger rolls five times a night. But I’d like to see Covington attack the basket with more authority on a regular basis.

More from The Sixer Sense

This article originally appeared on

share

Get more from Memphis Grizzlies Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

Memphis Grizzlies

National Basketball Association

Philadelphia 76ers

San Antonio Spurs

Washington Wizards