National Basketball Association

Which Philadelphia 76ers Player Emerges First?

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 12:48 a.m. ET

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Jan 27, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown talks with his team during the fourth quarter of the game against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Pistons defeated the 76ers 110-97. Mandatory Credit: Leon Halip-USA TODAY Sports

As the 2016-2017 basketball season unfolds, the optimism of Philadelphia 76ers fans will be put to the test. Which player will emerge as a baller first?

The Philadelphia 76ers are a young team, an inexperienced team, an injured team, and a diverse team. In transitioning from the 2015-2016 season to this year, there was a great deal of optimism for the team to land the top 2016 NBA Draft pick, to debut either Joel Embiid or Dario Saric. and to trade off Nerlens Noel or Jahlil Okafor.

Two out of three ain’t bad, or so says Meatloaf…

But with so many young raw talents on one roster, there will be an unjustified impatience from the fans to witness results. Is it fair? Not really. But after three years of “wait until next year” to sustain team pride, it’s not surprising either.

In the year of indoctrinating Philadelphia 76ers superstar Allen Iverson in the Hall of Fame, it’s fair to peek forward and speculate which of the 76ers new young stars will emerge as a leader in terms of production and teamwork.

The complexity of this team’s roster poses a tremendous challenge to this task. Unlike years previous where it was simply a one or two man competition, this season could have as many as eight players thrive in the new environment. The only fair and objective way is to truly examine each candidate and list their strengths weaknesses pros cons and outlook for the new season.

Sep 26, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Ben Simmons (25) dribbles the ball during media day at the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Ben Simmons

As the first player selected in the 2016 NBA Draft, the obvious person to emerge first and foremost is Ben Simmons. A player whose skillset will redefine the positionless basketball that is the latest wave of court innovations. But there is one problem. He fractured his foot. And so, the team must rely upon college video footage, rehabilitation, practice gyms, and analytics, to determine his progress.

Fortunately, the team relied upon those same methods to metamorphosis Joel Embiid from a one year college prospect into a very capable NBA center. That same elixer of sports medicine and basketball analytics is now converging to reinforce aspects of Ben Simmons’ game.

Like his shooting.

But the time away from the basketball court, and moreso his teammates, will not be easily overcome. The Philadelphia 76ers are building a rhythm, spacing, pace, and roles around the current starting five. Change that, even with a player as talented as Ben Simmons, and you reset the dial back to zero.

Ultimately, this is Ben Simmons’ team. Eventually, Ben Simmons will not only recoup the progress made without him in this lineup, but he will surpass it. But for now, the 2017 start makes Ben Simmons unlikely to shine this season.

However, it will set the stage for next year. He needs to play when he is healthy.

Nov 7, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) reacts against the Utah Jazz during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Joel Embiid

Joel Embiid sat out from basketball for two years after having a very shallow amount of basketball experience. He was flown to Qatar on two occasions to rehab his foot. He had two different surgeries.

Can he overcome all of this and ball out for the 76ers?

So far, yes – a resounding yes.

Joel Embiid is on minutes restrictions (he has only played 22.1 minutes per game) as well as a load restriction (he has only played in 70 percent of the games so far). He is the first half of the two-year-redshirted-rookies-club, a young man who has not had a lifetime of basketball experience to draw upon.

But when he steps onto the court, he demonstrates a complete mastery of the game – in just his first season. Embiid leads the team in scoring at 18 points per game, rebounds with 7.3 rebounds per game, and blocks with 2.3 blocks per game.

In a “Per 36” view, Embiid is scoring 29.3 points, 11.8 rebounds, 5.1 blocks, 2.9 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. He needs to work on handling the ball (10.5 turnovers per game in 36 mins) as well as his fouling (7.9 fouls per 36).

Even on a bad night, he is a solid performer. But when he is “hot”? Look out. He is emerging as an odds on favorite for KIA NBA Rookie of the Year.

Nov 12, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (8) works against Atlanta Hawks center Dwight Howard (8) during the first half at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Jahlil Okafor

The 2015-2016 was not set up to benefit Jahlil Okafor’s post presence. However, the team “made do” and let Okafor do the rest. That allowed Jahlil Okafor to lead the team in scoring in the 2015-2016 season.

In 53 games played, and just 48 starts, Okafor scored 17.5 points per game, pulled down 7.0 rebounds, handed off 1.2 assists, blocked 1.15 shots, and stole .42 times per game.

The hope for this season was that Jahlil Okafor would walk into a more “Okafor friendly” roster and unload his scoring upon the NBA. So far, that hasn’t taken place.

Jahlil Okafor is coming back from meniscus surgery, and so far he is on a similar minutes restrictions as Joel Embiid. That means that Jahlil Okafor often finds himself coming off the bench. As a matter of fact, of nine appearances so far, seven have been in a reserve role for Jahlil Okafor.
And all have been at the center position.

Averaging just 19.1 minutes per game, Okafor is nowhere near his 2015-2016 average of 30 minutes per game. While that is the major contributor to scoring just 10.4 points per game so far, there are other factors as well.

Jahlil Okafor is still coming back to full strength. While he has made great strides, he is still not 100 percent healthy.

Beyond that , it appears as though he is working to improve his defense. He is only at 3.8 rebounds per game, but up to 1.11 blocks per game and .44 steals per game. This conclusion is further supported by his “Per 36” stats, which reveals the young center to be imprv

Sep 26, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Nerlens Noel (4) during media day at the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Nerlens Noel

This was to be his contract year, the season where he pulled all of his NBA experience together and delivered his mind blowing rate of defense, but finds an offensive game. In fact, it was this belief that complicated the Philadelphia 76ers roster situation.

Nerlens Noel, a young 22 center, whose rookie contract is made up of a year rehabilitating his knee, a year of starring as the Philadelphia 76ers starting center, and a year of trying to blend at power forward and center with rookie center Jahlil Okafor.

This was his moment.

But he developed a groin injury, which fell on the heels of his public statement of frustration with the team’s front office. It seemed too coincidental, too well-timed. But however it was motivated, the result is that Nerlens Noel has not stepped onto the basketball court in his contract year.

Nov 14, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Dario Saric (9) dribbles the ball up the court during the third quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Dario Saric

Dario Saric, a.k.a. the Croatian Sensation, brings an entirely new element to the Philadelphia 76ers. He is a savvy, and experienced, power forward who is extremely versatile. In fact, he is versatile enough to slide up to center, stay put at power forward, and slide down to small forward.

But he is more than just a warm body who can hold his own. While his is technically still a “rookie”, his is the other half of the two-year-redshirted-rookies-club which includes Joel Embiid. So what is so special about him?

In the first place, Dario Saric is a blue-collar durable Timex type player (you know, takes a licking and keeps on ticking). He has appeared in all eleven games this season, starting in ten. His offense is respectable (averaging 10 points per game) and he works the boards well too (pulling down 6.5 rebounds per game)

He is a threat for a double-double on any given night, having accomplished the feat twice in eleven games already.

But on a team that needs “shooters”, he can and does shoot. He is averaging 40.6 percent on three point shooting, and while his field goal percentage at 38.7 percent is below the team average, he has been shooting at a 43.3 percent clip in the month of November.

But Saric can pass beautifully. As the team plays together as a unit, that passing will be one of his most valued skills.

Nov 12, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington (33) after making a three-pointer during the second half against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 117-96. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Robert Covington

Robert Covington has been that player with incredible promise, who flirts with flashes of brilliance, but who always seems to wake up the morning after with a pumpkin, some rats, and missing one of his glass slippers.

To say it another way, he is very “streaky”.

He can play nearly 30 minutes in a game with no score, and then play 30 minutes in a game and score 23. Covington can harass his opponent all night, picking their pockets for up to four steals in a game, and then seemingly be unable to pull one ball away. He can pull in up to eight rebounds in a game, and other times be forced to settle for just one rebound.

And nobody knows which player will step onto the court on any given night.

With Covington playing his third season with the 76ers, many hoped this might be the year, much like Nerlens Noel, where he would put it all together. At 6-foot-9 and 215 pounds, paired with his versatility, he can slide in as a power forward, small forward, and even shooting guard.

He has all the trappings of a leading two-way player in the NBA. Hopefully, he will exhibit the faith of head coach Brett Brown on the court this year.

Nov 14, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) dribbles the ball past Philadelphia 76ers guard Gerald Henderson (12) during the second quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Gerald Henderson

Gerald Henderson finally brings his Philadelphia native passion back to the city where it matters most. He is one of two free agents to make this list, primarily from the fact that he is the starting shooting guard.

Henderson will not be the team’s top scorer often, but he seems to be the type of player who will hover in the top three all season long. He knows how to pass off assists, how to rebound, how to steal, and how to defend.

He is a solid dependable starter on a very volatile roster. And that makes him very valuable indeed. While his defense is rock solid, it’s the efficiency of his scoring that is most intriguing. He is shooting at a career best 49.0 percent from the floor, and just under his career high at 35.0 percent from three point range.

In short, he brought his best home to Philly.

Henderson is not a spotlight guy. He is not going to confuse anyone with highlight reel film footage. But he is perfect for this Philadelphia team. He fills a solid need, and he delivers dependable performance.

Nov 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Sergio Rodriguez (14) passes during the fourth quarter of the game against the Indiana Pacers at the Wells Fargo Center. The Philadelphia 76ers won 109-105 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports

Sergio Rodriguez

Sergio Rodriguez is known in his native tongue as “El Chacho” (The Dude). While he was signed in free agency as a bit of an insurance policy, Rodriguez has advanced to a starting NBA role when projected starter Jerryd Bayless developed a wrist injury, and second year point guard T.J. McConnell simply did not gel running the 2016-2017 version of the team quickly enough.

As a result, Sergio Rodriguez was promoted to starter.

At times, Rodriguez flashes a complete command of the position. He has scored as many as 13 points in a game. On two separate occasions, he handed out 11 assists. In one game, he shot 75 percent from three point range.

And on other occasions, not so much.

Ultimately, you want your point guard to dish out the ball. If nothing else, Sergio Rodriguez does that beautifully. In fact, his current rate is twice that of his career best, at 7.5 assists per game.

As a matter of fact, it may very well be this focus on assists which has dropped his shooting accuracy. His accuracy of three -point shooting (26.1 percent) as well as on field goals (36.5 percent) are well under his career averages.

But the pace of his assists, despite the relatively poor overall shooting of the team, have kept Rodriguez in the upper ranks of the NBA in the statistic.

Nov 12, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown questions a call during the first half against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Whole Greater Than Parts

Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown has come under siege recently, particularly in the aftermath of losing some very close games. The ever so virtuous patience of recent years seems to have been burned off in the flames of “Let’s Win Now” mindset.

But that discontent with the head coach is misplaced.

How so?

A coach, like any craftsman, can only be as good as the materials at hand. With the Philadelphia 76ers, the scorecard cannot be based solely on wins and losses. The true measure of the coach rests in how well does he get better play out of his players.

On a roster filled with rookies and undrafted prospects, it’s impossible to judge how far the coach has brought the player.

But so far this season, Brown has had access to three veterans: Gerald Henderson, Sergio Rodriguez, and Ersan Ilyasova. Point guard Rodriguez is lighting it up with assists (the key statistic for a point guard), Gerald Henderson is shooting at or near career highs for accuracy, and Ilyasova is putting up career numbers in a reserve role so far.

This season will play out, and there are already signs for optimism. But more than a collection of players, the team has benefited tremendously from starting a stable roster. In eleven games played so far, seven games have had the same starting five.

In the end, perhaps that will be the true bright spot to emerge from the team this year.