V. The biggest issue was turnovers. Now the Philadelphia 76ers need to fix it.
Not everything worked out the way the team wanted. The team had no answer for Pacers starting center Myles Turner, and the 76ers could not keep their fouls to a minimum. But both issues paled in comparison to the real “gotta-fix-it-now” issue of 21 turnovers. For argument’s sake, the best in the NBA, the Minnesota Timberwolves, only turn the ball over 11.8 times. Even the Philadelphia 76ers average, the worst in the NBA, is only 16.4 turnovers per game. At 21 turnovers, no team can win. Period. End of story.
But the team knows they have a turnover issue. Now it’s a matter of will the players focus enough to fix it? Or even moreso, what will the team do if it begins to happen in the future?
Diagnose the problem, then cure it
The first response is to get to the videos of the game and diagnose the problem. What happened versus what should have happened, and then coach the right way to avoid the issue in the future. The team is asking an awful lot of Joel Embiid, for example. to set up at the perimeter and drive to the post. Is that truly the best use of one of the best big men in the NBA?
Wouldn’t it be better to give that role to Simmons? Yes, Simmons is not a threat to shoot from the perimeter, but the team has to place Joel Embiid into better game situations. And if Embiid is struggling, who can the team go to to help out?
The roster complicates the problem. Right now, the team has a very versatile roster. But that creates some complications for the team. There is no true backup for Joel Embiid. Yes, the team rotates in Amir Johnson, Ersan Ilyasova, Richaun Holmes. But the team failed to bring in a bona fide center after dumping Jahlil Okafor upon the Brooklyn Nets. And for that matter, the team is thin behind Robert Covington as well.
Next: Another playoff team, another loss
The season is not over for the Philadelphia 76ers. They next travel to New York to take on the Knicks before coming home to a three-game home stand. In fact, the 76ers could do very well to close out March. But the team will be haunted by this game. And it could be the best thing to happen to them, if they grow stronger from it.