Dec 7, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown consoles guard T.J. McConnell (12) on the bench during the second half against the San Antonio Spurs at Wells Fargo Center. The Spurs won 119-68. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
The Record Speaks For Itself
Try as they might, the Sixers took their lumps and could not produce a win. These are young players who do not yet have chemistry (in addition to their overall youth, injuries are hurting the team) and are trying their best to win night after night, with very little to show. The season reached a low point when the 76ers tied the 2009-10 New Jersey Nets for the worst start in NBA history, starting 0-18.
It wasn’t until the Los Angeles Lakers came to town, a few nights after Kobe Bryant’s announcement that this will be his last season playing in the NBA, that the Sixers were able to get their win. Even after Kobe started hot on his night, he shot them out of the game after the first quarter. The Sixers were led by Robert Covington‘s stellar two-way play, hitting big shots and playing tight defense on Kobe.
It was a perfect mix of celebration and relief for the team; relief that the team was able to get their first win while also able to celebrate the end of Kobe’s era, which thankfully took the spotlight away from the first point. Unfortunately the good feelings didn’t last for long, with Jahlil then getting suspended for fighting in Boston. In the ensuing games, Jahlil missed opportunities to go up against the New York Knicks and the Denver Nuggets, teams with fellow rookies Kristaps Porzingis and Emmanuel Mudiay, with both losses damning in their own way.
The Knicks ended up crushing the Sixers on a second night of a back-to-back, and then the Sixers could not hold onto their late lead against the Nuggets. In Jahlil’s first game back, the San Antonio Spurs also crushed the Sixers by 51 points followed by a team-wide dud against fellow cellar dwellers, the Brooklyn Nets. In terms of on-court play, none of these games really ended up showing progress for the Sixers. Losing big to New York and San Antonio showed we have a long way to go to be consistently competitive, the Nuggets and Nets games showed that we still need to get a killer instinct to close teams out, and the Lakers win hurt our chances for the top pick while getting the Lakers’ pick further into protected status. The on-court product honestly looks messy right now, so patience is the key to enduring this spell.
Next: Mr. Colangelo, Come On Down