The Sixer Sense
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The Tone Needs to Stay Consistent With Sixers, Despite Injuries

By Josh Wilson

Nov 9, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; The Philadelphia 76ers logo on the warm up shirt of center Jahlil Okafor (not pictured) prior to action against the Chicago Bulls at Wells Fargo Center. The Bulls won 111-88. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 9, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; The Philadelphia 76ers logo on the warm up shirt of center Jahlil Okafor (not pictured) prior to action against the Chicago Bulls at Wells Fargo Center. The Bulls won 111-88. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Philadelphia 76ers have faced some adversity as of late as an organization, but the positive tone needs to remain the same moving forward.

The Philadelphia 76ers have stumbled upon yet another tough time for their organization. It’s been a problem over the past few years, and it’s already turning into a problem this season — injuries.

It started before the preseason began. Ben Simmons went down in practice with a rolled ankle. It turned out to be a fractured foot. Then the injuries just kept piling up.

Nerlens Noel went down with groin discomfort, and later reported that his knee didn’t feel right either. He needs a minor surgery that will keep him out for over a month.

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Jahlil Okafor didn’t play all preseason until the final game, and was limited to less than 10 minutes. He looks like he’s finally over his knee injury from last season, but why did it take so long to get him on the court?

Jerryd Bayless, one of the prized additions of Bryan Colangelo this offseason, is currently suffering from a wrist injury. Nothing seems to be helping, but the team is avoiding approaching that with surgery at all costs. No timeline has been given for him.

Robert Covington also sprained his ankle during the Sixers final preseason game.

And back to Simmons, he is out indefinitely. The team will start the season without their No. 1 overall pick, something that certainly hurts, but something they have to do. And since the show has to go on, the positive tone surrounding the team must go on as well. It has to, otherwise it could be detrimental to the success of the team in further years once the Sixers do have all of their pieces in place.

So things look dismal. But just a few weeks ago, the tone surrounding the Sixers was upbeat and positive. The team was getting ready to debut their No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons, and they were also putting Joel Embiid and Dario Saric on the floor.

While Embiid and Saric are still both going to be around this year, it’s tough to remain as upbeat as they were when they thought Simmons was going to be on the roster. Simmons is a game changer, without a doubt, and to be unsure about when when he will even join the team again is tough. Keeping that positivity going seems nearly impossible.

But really, it shouldn’t, and to make this year good, the team needs to keep the tone up.

The coaching staff needs to keep things positive with the players. Especially with a roster that’s so young and impressionable, the coaches need to instill a positive message with the team. Yes, Simmons is out for a few months, but there’s still good players on the team that can now step up and make an impact in his absence. It’s imperative that the players know this, and are told it by the coaches.

The older players also have a duty to maintain a positive attitude for the same reason that the coaches do — the young players that are watching them. Lots of these players have not had to face adversity and injury issues on a team like this yet in their career. The players that have faced that need to realize that teams always get over that injury issue, and the Sixers will be no exception to that.

Simmons, too, is responsible for maintaining a positive attitude throughout his recovery. Is it easy to come into your rookie year after being a No. 1 overall pick and not play? — Definitely not. But Simmons is a professional now, and he needs to approach the situation as one. Based on what we’ve heard from Simmons so far, he’s doing just that.

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Additionally, the public relations department has a job to carry over the positive tone as well. Controlling how the team is seen in the public eye is their job, and for the most part they do a good job of making sure the team is seen in a positive light. Social media is imperative this season. Losses are going to come this year, it’s a matter of how the team reacts to them that’s going to impact how fans feel (at least to some extent).

Next: Relationship Between Simmons and Embiid Will Help Injury Recovery

Overall, the tone as a whole just needs to remain upbeat and positive. Yes, having another lottery pick get significantly injured in their first season truly isn’t a positive thing, but in the long run the future of the team is positive, and very much so.