Six Philadelphia 76ers Things I like and don’t like

Philadelphia 76ers Joel Embiid, Not an All-Star

I’ll keep it simple here, because the Joel Embiid All-Star protest is in full swing and has been well documented.

There are two criteria for All-Star considerations: personality and merit. Embiid is a lightning rod of fun and attention. Next.

The only way in which Paul Millsap is superior to Embiid in terms of merit is that he has played 13 more games, which should certainly be considered. The “minutes” minutia, however, is garbage. If Embiid sat cross-legged at half court for nine more minutes each game, would he then be worth an All-Star bid? At worst, he would still outpace Millsap in every meaningful statistical category except rebounds.

Ready your weapons for next year. Joel Embiid #NBAVote.

Chasing Waterfalls

TLC is alive! After a month of the Lorenzo Brown treatment and the highest EZ-Pass bill on the east coast, Timothé Luwawu-Cabbarot seems as if he will stick around in the big leagues.

Luwawu-Cabbarot is an instant fit physically in the NBA. He has elite quickness – watch him kick it into third gear on this drive. He’ll be very dangerous attacking off the catch in Brett Brown’s maze of hand-offs and curls.

He’s already figuring out how to mold his raw physical tools into final goods. He is excellent at teasing his jump shot on a recovering defender to blow by with his quickness. He brings you to a screeching halt with his pump fake before skirting by your tire tracks.

Luwawu’s offense is still very rudimentary at this stage. He needs to diversify his portfolio, and he is clearly timid around the rim. Notice how his eyes are glued to the ground in fear of a turnover before the release.

It’s hard to shoot at what you can’t see. After more reps and natural physical development, he’ll gain his poise and be a dangerous finisher. I’m in on TLC.

Nerlens Noel’s Fitness

Nerlens Noel is a fantastic defender. He is also an absolute hustler. As a rookie, Nerlens anchored one of the scrappiest and hard-working defenses in the NBA.

Thus, my only explanation for Nerlens’ inconsistent defensive activity this season is his fitness level. At just 326 minutes played so far this season, Noel is visibly not in typical NBA condition just yet.

In many cases, we do see peak Nerlens. Here, Nerlens defends the pick and roll as beautifully as can be done – he stunts at the ball handler to prevent the jump shot but recovers to contest the layup.

This exact sequence is what pays Nerlens’ salary. Very few big men possess the quickness and awareness to dismantle a pick and roll in such a manner. For that reason, it’s concerning when Nerlens turns in half-willed defensive exchanges such as these.

I’ve also seen Nerlens being over-zealous on picking the pocket of penetrators – a sign that usually means a player is too tired to move their feet.

On the year, opponents are shooting 52.4 percent at the rim when Nerlens is defending, the 17th best measure in the NBA. The Sixers allow 106.4 points per 100 possessions when Nerlens is on the court – which would measure as the 6th best mark in the NBA – compared to 111 when both Noel and Embiid are off. Make no mistake, Nerlens Noel is still an elite defender. But I’d like to see more of Nerlens Noel from the previous two years that nails two or three perfect rotations on each possession without missing a beat.

Nik Stauskas: The Embiid Funnel

I have to say, this is one of the most interesting basketball phenomena I’ve ever seen. The Sixers’ starting lineup (Joel Embiid, Ersan Ilyasova, Robert Covington, Nik Stauskas, and T.J. McConnell) has a defensive rating of 90.3 in 115 minutes played this season, best in the league for any five man lineup. Substitute Gerald Henderson and Sergio Rodriguez in the backcourt, and that number skyrockets to a still impressive 99.7.

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While McConnell is a clear upgrade over Rodriguez, eye test as well as conventional wisdom tells us that Gerald Henderson is a significantly better all-around defender than Nik Stauskas.

But picture this – in a world where each blow-by of Nik Stauskas results in a meeting with a 7’2” behemoth ballerina, maybe that is the most ideal outcome. After all, opponents are only shooting 43.9 percent at the rim when Embiid defends, the lowest such mark in the NBA.

Let’s see it in action:

The Sixers rank 12th in the NBA in field goal percentage against at 45.1 percent. Compared to the 43.9 percent mark in six FGA per game that opponents attack the basket to challenge Joel Embiid, they are statistically better off when avoiding that confrontation.

I do not mean to infer that the sixers should merely allow free passage to the rim and put Embiid on an island. But the safety net of Embiid allows guards to pressure more aggressively on the perimeter and dare them to challenge Embiid.

Stauskas’ physical inferiority necessitates that he play very conservative perimeter defense – giving space and allowing for jump shots. With Embiid, however, Stauskas can suffocate guards on the perimeter with no conscience. Embiid makes getting beaten off the dribble a non-issue – or maybe, just maybe, a preference.

Sixers’ Hair

With all of the on-court progress that the Sixers have made this season, one area in which the Sixers have regressed significantly is their hair styles.

After two years of dominating the NBA hair world, Nerlens Noel decided to tear down his résumé as well as his flat top. I’m not a fan of Nerlens’ hairstyle by any stretch – and I’m further unnerved by the fact that his hairstyle is spreading to the likes of Richaun Holmes. Perhaps this is the source of the unverified reports of Nerlens’ poor off-court behavior.

An equally surprising disappointment has been T.J. McConnell’s hair. The wavy, gelled-up look does not embody T.J. in the slightest. Unless T.J. is working part-time as a wisecracking South Philly bartender, the change is completely unwarranted. Even Dario Saric agrees.

Nik Stauskas has cemented his place as Gordon Hayward’s younger brother. Timothé Luwawu-Cabbarot has either struggled to find the right barber in Philadelphia or is soon hoping to pose as Kramer in a remake of Seinfeld.

It’s been a fun year on the court, but a brutal year for Philadelphia 76er hairstyles. Thank goodness for Sergio Rodriguez’s beard.

Point Ersan Ilyasova

I’m with Derek here. Brett Brown’s employment of the Ersan Ilyasova-Joel Embiid pick and roll is undoubtedly his way of testing the waters for a Ben Simmons-Embiid pick and roll.

Under no circumstances should Ilyasova take the reigns and handle the ball at will. In short, quick, decisive bursts, however, Ilyasova can be very effective in attacking the basket and creating for teammates.

Next: Jahlil Okafor: Employee of the Month

Ilyasova’s impact has been palpable for the Sixers this year. His ability to stretch the floor – and now attack the basket – has made life significantly easier for Embiid, and I expect Ilyasova to be used in conjunction with Simmons and Embiid upon Simmons’ return.