Are The Philadelphia 76ers The NBA’s Worst Team?

The Philadelphia 76ers currently hold the worst record at 0-10, and are the only team left in the NBA without a win. There’s no end in sight, and the team only has one game that they’re currently listed as a favorite in, and that’s in February. Things are so bad that they’ve set records, according to Tom Moore. The Sixers are the first team ever to lose nine straight games in consecutive seasons, and this is also the first time ever that the Sixers have lost this many in a row to start consecutive seasons. Things are, essentially, the worst they’ve ever been for the Sixers.

The records and the standings say they are currently the worst team in the league, but is that true? The Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Lakers, and New Orleans Pelicans all have started the year off in a rough way, and the Nets and Pelicans both have inserted themselves in the conversation for the “worst in the league.”

These three teams were the last three without wins. Brooklyn finally came away with a surprise win against the Houston Rockets not too long ago, leaving the Sixers as the final winless team.

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An embarrsaing loss to the Toronto Raptors 119-103 had fans thinking the team really was the worst, maybe the worst of all-time, but it must be remembered that the team went into this game with just nine healthy players. Nerlens Noel missed two straight games, and of course guys like Tony Wroten, Kendall Marshall, Carl Landry, Robert Covington, and Joel Embiid have played a combined one game this season.

In a lot of cases, these three teams sit in the high 20s (out of 30) in a lot of statistical cases. All have a defensive rating that’s 24th or worse. The Pelicans have proven that they aren’t the worst in the league, though. They blow both the Nets and Sixers out in several categories, sitting at fourth in the league in pace, fifth in points per game, and 13th in offensive rating. This isn’t too bad for a team that’s been missing some big names including Quincy Pondexter, Norris Cole, Kendrick Perkins, and of course, Anthony Davis.

So, with the Pelicans out of the question, it’s fair to say that either the Nets or the Sixers are the worse team. Let’s take a look at how their stats break down.

• PPG: Nets: 92.4; Sixers 92.9; Advantage: Sixers
• Offensive rating: Nets: 97.9 ; Sixers: 96.6 ; Advantage: Nets
• Pace: Nets: 94.4 ; Sixers: 96.1 ; Advantage: Nets
• Opponent PPG: Nets: 102.2 ; Sixers: 106.5 ; Advantage: Nets
• Defensive rating: Nets: 108.3 ; Sixers: 110.8 ; Advantage: Nets

So, the Sixers clearly fall in a lot of these categories. From a strictly statistical standpoint, the Nets clearly outdo the Sixers. But there’s more to it than that.

Looking at the injuries, the Sixers clearly have a lot of depth in the players that they’re missing, as addressed earlier. The Nets, on the other hand, aren’t missing much of their roster. Chris McCullough and Willie Reed are the only recent big injuries, and that’s nothing too groundbreaking. They won’t offer much to the team when they get back. So what the Nets have healthy know is essentially what they’re going to have to work with for the rest of the season.

Nets fans might argue this, but I think the Sixers healthy roster would easily outplay the Nets healthy roster. Joe Johnson, Brook Lopez, and Thaddeus Young are the only truly impressive parts that stick out to me, and I could see them easily countered with Jahlil Okafor, Robert Covington, and Nerlens Noel.

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All in all, the Nets are certainly the better team right now. Injuries have put the Sixers at a disadvantage, big time. But later in this season, as soon as January, I see this Sixers team surpassing the Nets skill level. Once they have players return from injury, there’s no reason they shouldn’t be a team better than the Nets, as their roster has more depth to it.

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Still, it’s not much of a compliment to be considered the second-worst team in the NBA. It’s a start though, and with four possible first round picks next year, who knows what general manager Sam Hinkie has in mind.