National Basketball Association

Underwhelmed: Key To Philadelphia 76ers Season Is Steady Improvement

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 7:11 p.m. ET

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Despite the build up of over three years to reach this season, expect to be underwhelmed by the Philadelphia 76ers out of the gates this year. The key to the team’s success is steady improvement.

For the time being, the Philadelphia 76ers haven’t formally announced when Ben Simmons will return to the starting lineup.  Similarly, the coaches have made no formal decision yet over which center will start the season.  To be honest, the team has made no decision about the 2016-2017 roster whatsoever.

And that’s okay. In fact, that’s fantastic.

Unlike the teams which have had post-season success in the NBA, or even teams that flirted with NBA success, the Philadelphia 76ers are walking in the dark.  So taking their time is not only responsible, it’s commendable.

The team is walking in a new direction, so this path will be unfamiliar to them.  It’s a set of fresh faces for players who now don the Philadelphia 76ers jerseys for the first time.  Its a time of familarization, organization, and team building.  It’s a time to build the trust in the hearts of the players about the coaching staff’s knowledge, skill and vision for this team.  Likewise, it’s a time to build trust in the hearts of the coaches about the players’ knowledge, skill, and production with this team.

Measure twice, cut once.

Sep 26, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Ben Simmons (25) reacts after making a shot from the second floor balcony of the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex during media day. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Pre Ben Era

Following the news of Ben Simmons’ surgery out, the team must regroup and get ready for this pre-season. Perhaps this is truly a blessing in disguise.  For starters, it will give the team to showcase players who may not make the cut to 15 for the season, building trade value to place them onto their next team.

It will also give the two other touted rookies, Joel Embiid and Dario Saric, opportunities to build their own value and roles for this team.   If necessity is the mother of invention, the team has fallen into the spot for both Embiid and Saric to lift the team up and move on.

But perhaps more so than either of these reasons, this will force the team to develop all players and opportunities to improve.

One of the challenges of adding Ben Simmons to this team is the risk of other players waiting for Simmons to take over a game. For a player whose primary focus is simply to get the ball and score, that’s easy to do. But in Simmons, the team has a player who will elevate the game of players around him.  In his absence, the team can promote other players who may flourish in this new set-up.  Perhaps an unexpected player or two will seize this window to exert themselves.

Oct 4, 2016; Amherst, MA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Brandon Paul (43) shoots the ball over Boston Celtics guard R.J. Hunter (28) during the second half at William D. Mullins Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Pre Season Story

If there was any team in the NBA with something on the line in the first preseason game, it is the Philadelphia 76ers.  Not by choice. Not by an overzealous fan base.  When the team opted an alternative route to building a championship, it was placed on the defense by  national media.  You can bet there would be national headlines today if the 76ers had lost.

“Three Years For Nothing…”, “Trust The Process Fails To Deliver”,  “Not Even Embiid Saric and Simmons Can Save This Team”.

Yes, from a preseason game.  The vultures have been circling this team for months.  But the team did deliver.  In fact, after a shaky start, the Philadelphia 76ers team was very impressive.  Spotting the Celtics a 16 point lead just part-way into the second quarter, the team’s bench roared to life.

Guard Brandon Paul led the team in scoring with 15 points, despite seeing just under 13 minutes of playing time.  Rounding out the scoring leaders was T.J. McConnell with 13 points, Jerami Grant/Dario Saric/Richaun Holmes all chipped in 10 points apiece.

Sep 26, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington (33) during media day at the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Housekeeping matters

While only scoring seven points, Robert Covington led the rebound with seven rebounds, one better than Saric’s six for the evening.   Saric also hurled a pair of treys out of three attempts. With Bayless and Simmons out for the contest, Covington McConnell and Rodriguez were the only 76ers to see over 20 minutes in the contest.

However you anticipated it to play out, center minutes were distributed 12:57 to Joel Embiid, and 17:18 to Nerlens Noel.  Unfortunately, Jahlil Okafor was held out of the contest. But Embiid scored 6 points on 33.3 percent shooting, brought in four rebounds and put up two blocks. Noel scored 6 points on 60 percent shooting and pulled down three rebounds and dished out two assists and one steal.  The remaining center minutes were handled by various forwards rotating through.

Despite 18 minutes of playing time apiece, neither Nik Stauskas nor Hollis Thompson apeared on the scoreboard.  With the team’s roster boasting competition at all positions, this was a setback for each player in their bid to stick with the roster.

Players who did make strong cases for making the roster were guards Brandon Paul and T.J. McConnell.  Another player who made a small but might impact was Shawn Long.  When the Celtics had closed to within one point in the fourth quarter, he nailed his only three-pointer which kept the 76ers in the lead and was the winning margin.

Oct 4, 2016; Amherst, MA, USA; Boston Celtics center Tyler Zeller (44) shoots the ball over Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) during the first half at William D. Mullins Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Something To Build Upon

This is a new team with rookies and veterans unfamiliar with one another or this coaching staff. If you expect a crisp roaring start out of the gates, I’m sorry to say you will be disappointed frequently.

Preseason games are meant to familiarize players and fans, similar to the onramp into the expressway. Building up speed, merging, and then taking this team as far as they can go. Joel Embiid appears to be everything we had hoped he would be. While he only scored six points, he pulled in four rebounds and two blocked shots in just 12 minutes of play… his first game in nearly three years.

Dario Saric appears to be NBA ready. Shooting both from the perimeter and the floor at a 66.7 percent clip, bringing in six rebounds while adding two assists and a block demonstrate his ability to contribute in so many ways on the court.

And the third international player to make a very positive impression was Sergio Rodriguez.  While some may have overlooked the Spanish point guard, his arrival has been heralded as a very positive move by writers at The Sixer Sense.  His five points and six assists marked a turning point in the game.  While he only shot 25 percent and remained outside the arc when shooting, his passing acumen was on full display to the crowd disappointed in Ben Simmons absence.

This was a solid team effort and resulted in needed positive momentum for the team heading into this year.

Oct 4, 2016; Amherst, MA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown gestures from the sidelines during the first half against the Boston Celtics at William D. Mullins Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Looking Ahead

Preseason is a rapid ramp into the NBA regular season. The Philadelphia 76ers are back at it on October 6th against the Washington Wizards.  On that evening, we could see the debut of Jahlil Okafor.

Never has this team had as much potential.  Joel Embiid, in all his athleticism, resembles Tolkein’s Treebeard when he stands above the other players on the basketball court.  Saric is as blue collar as an NBA player can get. Matter of fact, he keeps his focus on helping the team in any way he can.  His results?  He helps the team in virtually every way.

While we may be missing out on Ben Simmons, the passing accuracy of Sergio Rodriguez gives fans hope that we will still excel at head coach Brett Brown’s Pace Space Pass scheme.

During this preseason, just settle in for a long road 76ers fans.  We have the building blocks to build a championship team. Not only does this roster boast some very impressive players, but the team is sitting on a nice pipeline of new talent via the NBA Draft.  Soon the team will pare the roster to the 15 man core. But there will be ample opportunity to graft rookies to replace veterans and keep the team restocked in the years ahead.

Whether announced or not, roster battles have already begun. While its still early to call the 15 man just yet, there are several players who need to turn the corner quickly to remain on the roster. Will they do so in time?  We will find out soon enough.

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