The Philadelphia 76ers Are Good For The NBA

Oct 30, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown yells instructions to his team during the first quarter against the Utah Jazz at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The Learning Curve

The modern professional athlete is more than just a tall, strong, or fast player. They are a PhD in the sport of their specialty. They no longer can go out and drink all night and sweat it out the next day on the baseball mound or the basketball court. To gain and maintain the competitive edge, an athlete must know and use the latest in sports science.  Training and discipline are the off-spring of focus.

Focus is one of the most powerful tools in sports psychology. Whatever sport you compete in, the ability to focus is essential to success.   And the conflict of genetics versus athletic focus is going on right now on the counter-culture Philadelphia 76ers.

The Sixers are more than just a team experimenting on draft and international player assets.  The path of this team is even more fundamental.  Can a team “teach” players to win in one of the most competitive sports in the modern world?  Can this team take undrafted players and afford them an opportunity to improve with the right mix of science, coaching, and opportunity to hold their own in NBA games?

The emotional response of NBA fans is confusing.  Fans of many team are angry with the Sixers for the attempt.  The hill this team must climb is already quite steep.  76ers players must improve at a pace that is nearly double the teams of the NBA in order to compete.  So far, they are still at that deficit, their play is weak in fundamentals like ball control and shot selection, and they are losing.

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