Nov 14, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (L) and San Antonio Spurs center Boris Diaw (R) battle for the ball on the floor during the second half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
The Philadelphia 76ers have started this season off on a bad foot, with a record of 0-11 in their first 11 games. There’s obviously things that could be better.
The Wells Fargo Center struggles to sell tickets, and during Wednesday night’s game against the Toronto Raptors where the Sixers were really getting it handed to them, fans were chanting “trust the process” and more excited about half price Papa John’s than they were the game itself.
Jahlil Okafor shows a lot of promise, but he can’t do it all. So many players are struggling when Jahlil is carrying the team. If some players would simply sink a few shots more than they are now, the impact would be profound.
We can’t complain about everything though. Sixers fans have been pleasantly surprised by the performance of some players this year. T.J. McConnell is surprising everyone (except, of course, general manager Sam Hinkie) with his 7.7 assists and just 2.3 turnovers per game. He’s actually done the best in his class in a long time.
Injuries haven’t helped either, as the team started their year with Kendall Marshall, Tony Wroten, Carl Landry, and of course Joel Embiid out with injury. Nerlens Noel injuring his wrist (although the cause of the injury is up for debate) put the game at a disadvantage in the front court for a few games.
Although we can be optimistic, saying injuries are the reason for the poor play, and that losses have been valiant, a boost in performance would still help. Here’s some players who have to do better as the season picks up.
Next: T.J. McConnell
Nov 13, 2015; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard T.J. McConnell (12) drives to the basket in front of Oklahoma City Thunder guard D.J. Augustin (14) during the second quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
T.J. McConnell
I know, I was just praising McConnell for his ability to move the ball and not turn it over, and that’s still something to be credited to him, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have his issues to fix. McConnell is making the leaderboards in total assists, and that’s something to be excited about, but there’s more to games than just that.
McConnell was moved into the lineup to replace Isaiah Canaan because all Canaan would do was shoot, and didn’t look for teammates to pass the ball to. McConnell gets the rest of the offense rolling, but will rarely take a shot of his own. T.J. is averaging just 5.7 points per game despite playing nearly 30 minutes.
McConnell seems to have a fear of shooting–or at least, a lack to pay attention to when he should shoot–and sometimes making the pass isn’t the option. In most games, he’s been able to dump the ball to Jahlil Okafor in the post, and Jah has been able to easily do his thing, muscling into the paint. But against the Oklahoma City Thunder, we saw him shut down very well, and we saw Jah only score six points. The Sixers don’t have very many more offensive weapons with guys like Nik Stauskas struggling to hit his shots, so McConnell may be the next one in line.
T.J. has shot 45% from the field so far this year, so I would have no problem with him taking a few more shots. His best shooting (above 70%) comes within three feet of the hoop, but he also has decent success (50%) within the 10-16 feet marks.
I’d like to see McConnell take complete control of this offense. Before the year started most of us expected Jah to do this–and he’s done a decent job–but having a point guard that can pass and score, alongside a big man that can dominate in the paint? That’s something that could be unstoppable if the Sixers could keep it going.
He did a decent job of doing more scoring on Monday and shot 67% from the field, but that has to continue.
Next: Nik Stauskas
Nov 13, 2015; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Nik Stauskas (11) drives to the basket in front of Oklahoma City Thunder forward Nick Collison (4) during the second quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Nik Stauskas
Staying with the guard scenario, let’s talk about Nik Stauskas. Although he’s already on pace for a much better season than last year, I’m not sure it’s going to be enough, unless he starts to kick some things into gear.
Against the Toronto Raptors, Stauskas shot 3/11 from the field (2/7 from beyond the arc). Even when he has no defenders near him, it seems as if he has trouble sinking shots. So far this year he’s shooting below 30% from beyond the arc, and below 40% from the field. This is not good and not what Sixers fans expected from the kid who was considered a “shooter” at Michigan.
I’m suggesting that Stauskas gets moved to the bench, and Canaan gets a start at shooting guard. There’s no shame in this, but some players really operate better off of the bench. I think allowing Stauskas to watch the game unfold for a little before checking in may help him, and playing McConnell alongside Canaan gives T.J. another option to pass to (although he should be shooting).
All in all, Stauskas is slipping towards what he was in Sacramento last season, which is exactly what we don’t want him to do in Philadelphia.
Next: Isaiah Canaan
Nov 7, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Isaiah Canaan (0) moves toward the net during the third quarter of the game against the Orlando Magic at the Wells Fargo Center. The Orlando Magic won 105-97. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports
Isaiah Canaan
Almost anyone who has seen Isaiah Canaan play this year knows he’s in need of some serious improvement. We watch him mess up constantly, and him dribbling the ball off of his foot has been something that isn’t much of a surprise anymore.
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Although there’s been positives with Canaan–he has hit over 20 three pointers so far this year, good enough for him to get mentioned on the league leaderboard–it’s been a lot of “Canaan gonna Canaan” type plays this year when he touches the ball.
He struggled to find his way as the year started, forced into a role that he didn’t exactly fit when the year began, having to start at point guard because of all the injuries. Later on, he had to start over, coming off of the bench in the backcourt, and slipped into a different role.
Canaan has scored, I’ll give him that, and has the opposite problem of T.J. McConnell, scoring, but no passing. Canaan is averaging 10.7 points, but just 1.8 assists per game. I’d really like to see him begin to move the ball more as the season progresses, and see him become more of a solid player. Having him dribble the ball off of his foot isn’t surprising, and that’s somewhat sad for an NBA player.
Next: The Front Court
Nov 9, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Christian Wood (35) in a game against the Chicago Bulls at Wells Fargo Center. The Bulls won 111-88. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Christian Wood & Richaun Holmes
Although I think Christian Wood and Richaun Holmes have some great tools, they have been unable to utilize them. I’m not sure if that’s all their fault, or if it’s a lack of playing time being given to them, but still, it’s concerning to see that the only players backing up a strong front court of Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor can’t do much at all.
Together, Wood and Holmes are averaging just 9.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game. Their impact on games has been nearly negligible, but it’s not all their fault. Brett Brown has failed to insert them into games, as the rookies together average just 23.5 minutes per game on the floor, less than Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel on their own.
Even with Nerlens Noel out, Brown often opted to start Jerami Grant at the four spot (which he has shown promise at) rather than either of these young players. Ignoring the fact that they’re even available is not healthy, and does not give them a chance to prove their worth to the team.
Wood and Holmes both impressed in the preseason, and there is reason for them to be getting more minutes than they have now. Both average double digit points, and both average over five rebounds per 36 minutes.
Next: Are The Sixers The NBA's Worst Team?
Noel and Okafor can not do everything, so these guys are going to have to step up. Their “improvement” is largely out of their hands though, and more in the hands of Brett Brown.