The Sixer Sense
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4 Things the Philadelphia 76ers Need to Change

By Josh Wilson

Dec 1, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Nerlens Noel (4) and center Jahlil Okafor (8) celebrate a score against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The 76ers won 103-91. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 1, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Nerlens Noel (4) and center Jahlil Okafor (8) celebrate a score against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The 76ers won 103-91. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Suspend players

One of the immediate things that I’d like to see changed is an effort to hand out punishments to players. Several things transpired last year off the floor that showed how young, immature, and inexperienced with the power of social media and the Internet this roster was.

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Jahlil Okafor got into a ton of trouble. He had a gun pointed at him in Old City, was caught driving 108 miles per hour on the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, got in a fist fight with a Boston Celtics fan in Boston, and was denied entrance to a night club because of a fake ID.

Nerlens Noel reportedly trashed his very expensive luxury apartment before his lease was up, causing tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage. The landowners found the apartment littered with drugs, and the carpets were covered with Gatorade. He then requested his security deposit back and threatened to kill the landowners.

Noel was not suspended — largely due to the fact that this news came out towards the end of the season, and the investigation was ongoing — and Jah was suspended for two games, but only after a second video of the street fight came out, revealing much more malice than the first one.

To me, the Sixers didn’t do enough to keep their players in check. Jah should have been suspended sooner than he was, and the team largely avoided talking about the Nerlens situation. They could suspend him to start off next season, and it would send a message to their young roster — don’t act out.

Suspensions should be handed out quicker next year, that is, if trouble comes up. I’m not saying that the team should act like police on a highway, patrolling and waiting for something to act up. But if something does happen, the team needs to flex some authority.

Next: Put Embiid on the mic