Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers may see Detroit in NBA playoffs

The Philadelphia 76ers appear more and more like an NBA playoff team. Even as team works through injuries and off-nights, they had enough to defeat Detroit twice this year. And Pistons could be a team the 76ers face in post season

The Philadelphia 76ers are a very young team. Tender aged, short of NBA game-playing experience. On paper, the three players generating the most hope for the team’s future are Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Markelle Fultz. Joel Embiid just completed his 50th NBA game, Ben Simmons just put down his 21st game, and Markelle Fultz is stuck at four NBA game limbo while he rehabs his shoulder and his shot.

But in the Detroit Pistons rematch, the 76ers did not get much offense from Simmons (just four points) and struggle with ball control from Embiid (six tunovers) and still won the game against the very impressive Detroit Pistons. For the record, Detroit is 14-8 even after their second loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Philly collision course for playoffs

And one more for the record, the Philadelphia 76ers improve to 13 wins to just 9 losses.  That makes these Sixers the fifth seeded team, and the Pistons the fourth seeded team.  Those are the first round opponents in the NBA playoffs.

Are we already talking playoffs with the Philadelphia 76ers? Of course. And why not? This team is loaded with talent that has barely stepped foot onto the court.

Embiid will make NBA playoffs entertaining again

And yes, that would be awfully fun to watch. Like these game one highlights from Joel Embiid

As much as fans want to hand over the keys to the team to Ben Simmons, there are some aspects of the game that remain beyond his influence.  Ben Simmons is solid and surprising on the court.  But over time that surprise will wax into strategy to counter Simmons.

But Joel Embiid is more than just a trash-talking big. He baits his opponents to attempt to “show him up” in the next game.

And in doing so, he takes complete control of the next game.

No head coach can accomplish 82 wins in a season.

No team is perfect. The Philadelphia 76ers are too young, and fighting injuries to too many players at the moment to win everything. Sure, it would be nice, but it’s not reality. And on those nights where the Philadelphia 76ers do NOT win, it is simply not one more reason to call for head coach Brett Brown to be fired.

So stop with the insanity.

The Philadelphia 76ers are on a tremendous track of improvement in this NBA. From 10 wins to 28 wins and now on track for over 50 wins.  This team is young. And so, they are not only learning NBA basketball, but how to win as well. It’s foolish to focus on each downturn of the roller-coaster rookies-infused team and call it “bad coaching”.

Philadelphia 76ers are built for post-season

Instead, focus on this team’s positives. The center is still learning as thought it’s his first season, yes. But he is one of the most focused players in the NBA. He seldom has bad games. But when he does, he scours video footage to diagnose better play opportunities in the next meeting. In the  playoffs, that skill will prove invaluable.

The team has a 6-foot-10 point guard who is in his rookie season.  But over time, he will know when to pass and when to shoot even more effectively. As Simmons improves over the course of the season, so too will this team. But the team has other point guard to change it up. Perimeter shooters who can suddenly burst red hot. The only deficiency is mental mistakes and consistency.

Post-season lesson learned

By the time the Philadelphia 76ers end this season, players will be playing their best basketball of the season.  And that will be a challenge for their opponent, whomever that may be.  The NBA East is better than expected, but that is due to the Philadelphia 76ers. The very same Sixers team currently trending to the NBA playoffs.

Next: Ben Simmons leads Rookie-of-the-month stats

The second win over the Detroit Pistons is more than a win over a good team. The Philadelphia 76ers proved by December 2017 that they can defeat a very good opponent in consecutive matchups.  That is the last lesson this team needed to learn to be playoff ready.