Sixers vs. Wizards: 3 takeaways from third shaky performance in Orlando

The Sixers are 2-1 in Orlando, but there’s still plenty to panic about.

No team brings about feelings of despair and eternal brokenness better than the Philadelphia 76ers. The same Sixers who have made big roster move after big roster move, only to come up short two seasons in a row — going on three. The Sixers are easily the most frustrating “contender” in basketball.

There are various reasons behind the fandom’s perpetual discontent. The Sixers’ front office went from a beloved visionary to a boomer on Twitter, then cycled through to a former player who eschewed all common sense in favor of gimmicky tall-ball.  Or there’s Brett Brown’s knack for disgruntling even the most loyal supporter. Or the players’ confounding inability to hit open jumpers.

However you slice it, the Sixers are a strange, strange team that tends to operate outside the confines of traditional logic. Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are fatally mismatched yet highly productive superstars, the roster around them is talented but clunky, and no one really knows how to feel about Brett Brown. It is a franchise and fanbase governed by extreme reactions and vague uncertainty for the future.

On that note, Philadelphia beat the Wizards on Wednesday. It was not a great performance — I would even say it was a mostly bad performance — but the Wizards are the worst team inside the bubble, and the Sixers managed to capitalize.

Here are some takeaways from another exciting (gruelingly mundane) win.