The Sixer Sense
Fansided

The mistakes of the 2016-2017 season for Sixers

By Matthew Fleming

Apr 10, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown reacts from the sidelines during the second quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown reacts from the sidelines during the second quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Philadelphia 76ers certainly exceeded expectations this year, and there are many encouraging signs, but mistakes were made during the season.

The Philadelphia 76ers 2016-2017 season was certainly better than most expected, and definitely an improvement compared to the atrocious 2015-16 season. But there were moments this year that should have been handled differently.

Of course, we were all at the edge of our seats watching Joel Embiid and his offensive and defensive dominance during his rookie season. But there were certain situations that we all wish the Sixers could do over.

Joel Embiid Injury Debacle

Throughout the entire tenure of Embiid in Philadelphia, the Sixers have been patient with him and never willing to put him in any danger of rush him out on the court.

That comes with one giant exception. The Sixers went off-script when Embiid injured his foot during a game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Jan. 20, 2017.

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Not only did Embiid come back into the game and eventually have to leave a second time, but he would play in a notably nationally televised game against the Houston Rockets a week later.

We would later find out he had a torn meniscus, which would result in Embiid missing the rest of the season.

The Sixers received a lot of criticism for how they handled the situation (rightly so) because they failed to mention the injury and instead said he was recovering from a born bruise.

Not only did the Sixers not reveal the torn meniscus, but they appeared to leave the door open for Embiid to return at any time, even though that would not be the case, perhaps to sell tickets to fans who thought there was a chance he would play.

It was just a poorly handled situation all around and one the Sixers should learn from and not do again.

Sitting Jahlil Okafor

One of the most frustrating things about this season was when Okafor did not play in a few games in February because of trade rumors, according to Head Coach Brett Brown.

Obviously, if they were close to trading Okafor then maybe you can sit him so you don’t risk injury.

But a trade never happened, and Okafor and his teammates had to answer questions about it. He probably felt he was going to get traded, and when it didn’t happen it could have been awkward for him and the team.

Also, the Sixers did not need the distraction.

Ben Simmons Injury

When Ben Simmons broke his foot back in September, not many had anticipated he would miss his entire rookie season.

It was disappointing that a player with so much potential and would have added even more excitement could not play at all.

The idea of having Embiid and Simmons playing at the same time makes waiting an additional offseason for it to happen frustrating.

Whenever a team loses the first pick in the draft after only winning 10 games the previous season, it leaves the team and the fans waiting to see what he is all about.

Next: Brown wants Simmons in Summer League

This situation isn’t so much changing anything but more of expressing disappointment about the result.