Philadelphia 76ers 2016-2017 Season By The Numbers

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Mar 12, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Ish Smith (1) reacts with fans after scoring against the Detroit Pistons during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

The Other Side Of The NBA

As the season progresses, Embiid will take on more of the team’s load. That unto itself will improve this team. But do not lose sight of a little trend of playing the same five each night. That will pay HUGE dividends as the team begins to compete with the middle and lower tiers of the NBA.

So far, the team has played nine games, six of which are teams winning at a 60 percent clip or better. With today’s Houston game, the team enters a six game stretch of facing opponent playing at less than a 60 percent clip.

In the upcoming weeks, the team takes on Houston (5-4), Washington (2-7), Minnesota (4-5), Phoenix (3-8), Miami (2-6) and Memphis (4-5) before facing the Chicago Bulls (6-4) and Cleveland (8-1). If the 76ers can win two of the next six contests, the team will be 3-12. While that is not on pace for post season, it’s world’s better than last season’s winless October and November.

And so, statistically, the team is showing signs of improvement. That success will show modest, but important, improvement in the win column. It’s clear that the Philadelphia 76ers are not ready to challenge the best in the NBA for post season play.

Next: The Sixer Sense Roundtable: Joel Embiid First Impressions

But don’t rule this team out just yet. In just nine games, the cohesiveness of this squad is improving rapidly. By the time Ben Simmons joins the team, consecutive wins will not be the jaw-dropping moment they would be early in the season. The more this team, and this lineup, familiarizes itself with one another, the better the team becomes.

Consistency is a sign of a team committing to her players. It’s time to do so.