The Sixer Sense
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Why 4-4 is a good record for the Philadelphia 76ers

By Michael Bronson

PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 1: Joel Embiid #21 and Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers walk to the bench against the Atlanta Hawks at the Wells Fargo Center on November 1, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 1: Joel Embiid #21 and Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers walk to the bench against the Atlanta Hawks at the Wells Fargo Center on November 1, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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The Philadelphia 76ers are 4-4 through eight games. Despite being a game outside the playoffs, they’re still a young team with a lot of room left to grow moving forward.

The Philadelphia 76ers have hit the .500 mark. Is that good? Is that bad? Here is a great perspective:

"“The quarter mark of the season, when every team has played about 20 or 21 games, is when we can really evaluate where they stand. On average, 13.5 of the 16 teams that eventually make the playoffs are already in playoff position when the season is 25 percent complete. (Last year it was 13, five in the East and all eight in the West.)Of course, the first quarter of the schedule isn’t exactly balanced. Some teams have tougher starts than others."

The Philadelphia 76ers certainly had a tough start.

Playoff run

And still more:

"If the Philadelphia 76ers are going to make a run at the playoffs with their influx of talent. (And hopefully, better health for Joel Embiid), they’ll have to endure a rough start to the schedule. Ten of their first 14 games are on the road. And 16 of their first 21 are against teams that finished at .500 or better last season.Two of those games are against Atlanta and Indiana, two teams that had winning records last season and took big steps backwards this summer. Still, five of the Sixers’ first seven games are against teams — Washington, Boston, Toronto and Houston (x2) — that were top-four seeds last year. And then they have four games against Utah and Golden State in their next nine.”"

The above quotes are from John Schuhmann’s article evaluating the NBA schedule for the 2017-18 season and explains why the Philadelphia 76ers were likely to struggle early in the season.

Good play, but not playoffs yet

More from Sixers News

The Philadaelphia 76ers are playing better than expected. But that hasn’t changed the fact that the Sixers are currently sitting out of the playoffs. The top eight teams get playoff bids, and the 76ers hold the ninth best record in the Eastern Conference. The 76ers trail frontrunning Boston Celtics (6-2), Orlando Magic (6-2), Indiana Pacers (5-3), Detroit Pistons (5-3), Charlotte Hornets (5-3). Close behind are the Toronto Raptors (4-3), Washington Wizards (4-3), and Milwaukee Bucks (4-4).  On top of that, the Cleveland Cavaliers (3-5) are unlikely to stay 13th in the standings for long.

Comparable to playoff teams, and improving

Still the Sixers’ top three players are currently performing at a level comparable with the top players in the NBA. They are the main reasons fans should expect the team to stay in the playoff hunt.

Among centers Joel Embiid is fifth in points per game (20.9) and fourth in assist per game (3.4). Only James Harden (33), Stephen Curry (32), Eric Gordon (30), and Ryan Anderson (28) have made more 3-pointers than Robert Covington (27). And Ben Simmons leads all rookies in points (18.5) and rebounds (9.6) per game while only being behind NBA superstars Russell Westbrook (11.7), John Wall (9.7), James Harden (9.2), and LeBron James (8.9) in assists per game with 7.9.

Next: Can the Sixers remain road warriors?

The Sixers will be lucky to go 3-1 in their next four games against the Pacers, Utah Jazz (5-3), Sacramento Kings (1-7), and Golden State Warriors (6-3), but after starting the season with one win and four losses, they have managed to get a 500 record for the first time in almost four years and their schedule will eventually get easier which should result in them replacing the 2011-12 team as the most recent Sixers’ team to make the playoffs.