Philadelphia 76ers are back in the 2018 Playoffs race

After a dreadful December, the Philadelphia 76ers have finally turned things around.

The holidays were not kind to the Philadelphia 76ers. After starting the season 13-9, they went just 4-10 in the month of December, dropping them below .500 and out of the playoff picture.

A handful of different factors contributed to those struggles, starting with injuries. It’s hard to have continuity when nobody’s healthy, and the Sixers — more than perhaps any other team — can atest to that. They also dealt with some poor shooting and an odd slump from Ben Simmons.

All of that snowballed into a December that had fans thinking about the lottery again, which has been commonplace over the past few seasons. Perhaps that mindset is no longer necessary, though.

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After a quick start to 2018, we’re finally starting to see a version of the Sixers that can compete for one of the East’s top eight spots.

The Sixers are winners of four straight. Not only have they been blessed by the ever-powerful BASEDGOD, but they’re making improvements across the board. Joel Embiid has a good back, Simmons is balling out, and the rest of the Sixers’ rotation is starting to find its stride (expect for Jerryd Bayless, of course).

Playoff hopes obviously hinge on Embiid’s health, but Simmons’ improved play has been the most important revelation. He has finally put his free throw yips behind him, attacking the lane and looking to get his own offense around the rim. As we’ve stated countless times, that opens up a ton for the Sixers’ offense.

If Simmons is scoring at the rim, that forces defenses to collapse and opens up passing lanes that would otherwise be unavailable. On top of that, J.J. Redick is starting to catch fire. Since returning from his hamstring injury on Christmas Day, Redick is averaging 20.7 points per contest and hitting on 46.3 percent of his deep balls.

That, my friends, is what the Sixers paid $23 million for. When Redick is knocking down shots and Simmons is shredding defenses inside, it’s hard to keep the Sixers’ offense down for extended periods of time.

Dario Saric has also been balling. He’s choosing his spots better as a playmaker, while his 3-point shot finally seems legit. His shooting is essential to coexisting with Simmons, so hopefully that’s something he can maintain while he’s in the starting lineup.

Must Read: Why trading Dario is a bad idea

Covington has been quiet offensively, but he’s more efficient that way. His deep threat, combined with his defensive prowess, means his on/off splits will be impressive regardless of a decreased number of shots.

NBA basketball is a game of runs, which applies nicely to the Sixers’ season as a whole. They started cold, heated up, then regressed in a big way last month. Add their recent win streak and things have evened out at 19-19. That’s the kind of inconsistency you can expect from such a young roster.

Now that the Sixers have found some middle ground between scorching hot and ice cold, that should keep them firmly in the playoff discussion. They have the talent and are only half a game behind the eighth-seeded Indiana Pacers, a team that has struggled significantly as of late.

The seventh seed? The Detroit Pistons, who the Sixers beat by a healthy margin Friday night.

Next: 2018 NBA Draft Big Board 4.0

As the saying goes, Trust The Process. Nobody said this season would be easy.

Sixers are back in the playoff hunt

By Christopher Kline | Jan 7, 2018

After a dreadful December, the Philadelphia 76ers have finally turned things around.