Philadelphia 76ers Will Be Just Fine Philadelphia

Nov 27, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets dancers perform before a game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia 76ers Will Be Just Fine Philadelphia

Yes, history is being made by the Philadelphia 76ers right now. They are losing consecutive games on one hand, and they are struggling to get healthy on the other hand. In the left hand, the 76ers just lost their 27th game in a row and  17th game in a row in this season, by falling to the Houston Rockets 116-114.  They followed that up on Sunday night with a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies 92-84.

On the other hand, just as Nik Stauskas returned to the lineup, Nerlens Noel was a late scratch for the Friday night game in Houston due to soreness in his knee.  Then to make matter worse, they show signs of getting better playin from their back court, and suddenly their front court has gone silent.  They are now in an 18 games losing streak this season, and coupled with last year is now a 28 game losing streak.

Can’t win for losing.

But the Sixers showed me and the rest of the NBA something on Friday night, an ember of resilience and competitiveness and never-say-die that I had nearly lost hope in seeing.  On the first game back from the news of Jahlil Okafor’s incident outside a Boston nightclub, the team rallied around their offensive leader and did everything possible to pull the game out on his behalf.   The team was led by the emerging Robert Covington, whose 28 points on offense was matched by his seven rebounds and 8 steals on defense.   In fact, on a team which is usually carried by the sole offensive output of Jahlil Okafor, the team actually had Covington at 28 points, Isaiah Canaan at 21 points, and Jerami Grant at 18 points all outscore Okafor, whose 11 point night capped an evening of bad shooting overall as he went four of twelve from the floor.

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The Sixers should be surprising no-one with their early season challenges.  The team is essentially remade for the third season in a row, with this year’s roster being the youngest team in the NBA at 23.5 years.  But it’s not just the youth, it’s also the inexperience in playing significant minutes in the NBA, it’s the unfamiliarity of playing for the Philadelphia 76ers, and its the uncertainty of playing with one another.

But this has created opportunity.  And opportunity is just what young athlete’s need.  One such athlete is Hollis Thompson:

"“It’s definitely been a great experience. Having the opportunity to come in and work on my game, and I think I’ve done that. The coaches have been patient with me. I’ve put in a lot of work. And I think slowly it’s starting to pay off. I try to lead by example.  Try to set an example, show people the way we try to do things here. Coach em up when you get the opportunity.” – Hollis Thompson"

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