Breaking down the Philadelphia 76ers’ top ranked defense
The Philadelphia 76ers have the top ranked defense in the NBA. Here’s how.
After disappointing on defense last season, the Philadelphia 76ers have locked down under new head coach Doc Rivers. The team has a defensive rating of 102.9 through eight games, the best in the NBA and much improved over their eighth ranked defense last season.
Let’s take a look at the Four Factors to determine how the Sixers have been so stout defensively.
Forcing Misses
League Rank: 2nd
The Sixers allow the second lowest number of points per field goal attempt in the league, mostly due to elite defense in the paint. As usual, Joel Embiid has dominated the paint, and new addition Dwight Howard has solidified the defense when Embiid rests.
On the perimeter, Ben Simmons has shut down the opponent’s top threat and Danny Green has brought reliable wing defense. The team is long and versatile other than Seth Curry and Tyrese Maxey, but even those two are scrappy defenders. Overall, strong individual defenders and organized team defense has resulted in way more misses than makes for the opposition.
Forcing Turnovers
League Rank: 13th
While forcing misses is the bread and butter of the defense, forcing turnovers has been an above average component. As usual, Simmons is in the top five in the league in deflections per game. Tobias Harris and Green have been very active as help defenders and Matisse Thybulle is still elite in steals per possession.
Rebounding
League Rank: 12th
Suprisingly, the Sixers rank only 12th in defensive rebounding percent despite elite rebounders on the team. Embiid and Howard are two of the most dominant rebounders in the NBA and Simmons is one of the best rebounding guards.
The bench players outside Howard are a bit small, and Curry and Green provide almost no rebounding next to the other starters. Still, if there is room for the defense to improve, defensive rebounding is the best bet. The Sixers finished second last season, so look for them to approach that mark.
Limiting Fouls:
League Rank: 17th
This is the only category that the Sixers are below league average but room for improvement is there. Lowering the foul rate would drastically improve the defense, as foul shots are one of the most efficient ways to score.
One positive note has been Embiid’s improvement on limiting fouls. After fouling at a high rate last season, Embiid has cut his foul rate in half. Howard, who the leads the team in fouls despite playing just 13.9 minutes per game, should strive to make similar improvements.
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The Sixers have benefitted from an easy schedule, so the defense may regress as the schedule toughens. Still, you can only play the team in front of you, and the Sixers have not been a fun team to be in front of.