The Philadelphia 76ers are in first place. How does each player grade individually?
The Sixers are through nineteen games, just more a quarter of the season. They sit at the top of the Eastern Conference and are 13-6 after a close victory over the Lakers, the Sixers’ toughest challengers yet.
Overall, I think Sixers fans are delighted with how players have performed so far this season. And for good reason. Here’s a review of each players’ performance this season. I’ve only included the ten players who’ve made up the biggest part of the rotation.
Sixers early season grades: Joel Embiid
The numbers already say so much about how fantastic the big fella’s season has been. He’s shooting career highs from the field, the line and from 3 to put up a career high in points. He’s been a titan on the defensive end and he’s been just as good on offense. The team is dismal in his absence, even when he’s just taking a breather during the game.
He’s creating a lot of open shots for shooters by passing out of doubles more effectively and decisively. His assist numbers don’t reflect this because the ball is often quickly swung around the perimeter to beat the defensive rotation and find the open man after Embiid’s initial pass. If Joel Embiid can stay healthy and remain consistent, he can expect to be top 3 in MVP voting without a doubt.
Sixers early season grades: Ben Simmons
There has been a lot of controversy surrounding Ben Simmons this season with many fans believing he should’ve been traded away for Harden, some fans still believing he should be traded for Beal and others who’ve held firm in their belief that he Australian should remain in Philly. There’s one thing I don’t think can be argued: Simmons has often been very frustrating to watch offensively. He is just too passive, especially when Embiid is out and he should be stepping up.
He’s having a career low in points, field goals attempted and he’s still shooting less than 65 percent from the line. However, he’s still been an invaluable asset defensively and is doing a good job at playmaking and getting the ball down the floor in transition. There have also been short periods that Ben seems to be truly unleashed as a scorer but unfortunately it hasn’t lasted longer than a single half. Overall, I think Ben is still a very positive contributor to this team but I would just like to see more from him in terms of scoring.
Sixers early season grades: Tobias Harris
After a poor showing in the 2020 playoffs, the preseason and the opener, I had come close to writing Tobias off as a total liability. Since then, he’s playing incredibly well. He’s far more decisive, taking good shots and shooting a career high 46.1 percent on 4.8 attempts from 3 a game. Rivers seems to extract the best out of Harris as he’s now looking like an all-star contender again. His game winner against the Lakers showed great composure under immense pressure to secure the most important victory of the season so far.
While he is still grossly overpaid, he has been incredibly valuable for Philadelphia and I cringe just thinking about what our offense may be like without him. But he has impressed beyond his offense because his defense has also exceeded all expectations. Tobias has had one of his best season of his career and I hope he continues delivering at the same level that he has been throughout the season.
Sixers early season grades: Seth Curry
Curry may arguably be the most surprising Sixer so far. He’s putting up a career-high 14.9 points per game. He’s shooting an impressive 50.9 percent from 3 and has done a good job at handling the ball when it’s been necessary. He started the season off on a very high note and his presence seemed to be greatly missed when he was out due to testing positive for the coronavirus. Since his return, he hasn’t seemed to really find his rhythm. Let’s hope he can go back to how he was playing before his mandatory stoppage. If he does, the Sixers have a really valuable player in him and he can be vital for Philly’s success.
Sixers early season grades: Danny Green
While I think Green’s value is centered more around his locker room presence than his on-court presence, he has played quite well for the Sixers. Even though he had a bit of a rocky start, Green has executed his role perfectly. He’s spacing the floor and making shots. He’s shooting at a higher percentage on a higher volume of 3s than his season at the Lakers. Whilst age has taken away from his quickness, disqualifying him as an elite defender, his length and intuition still make him one of the best perimeter defenders on this team. Sixers fans can be grateful for the acquisition of Danny Green.
Sixers early season grades: Shake Milton
Shake has been one of my favorite Sixers. At times, he looks like our best offensive player not named Joel. In fact, two weeks ago he had jumped on to the radar of sixth man of the year candidates. The only problem is that he hasn’t developed any consistency. At his best he shoots the lights out, makes great passes, takes care of the ball and gets to the rim without much difficulty. Unfortunately, his best has been on and off. If he can play how he played between the Orlando game and the first Boston game all the time, then he’s making a strong case to be the best bench player in the league. He’s still a great player off the bench, even on the nights that he hasn’t been a standout. Let’s hope he can find some consistency and be as vital to Philly as he has the potential to be.
Sixers early season grades: Dwight Howard
Dwight is the best backup Embiid has had so far. He hasn’t disappointed in terms of fulfilling his role which has included protecting the rim, working the glass on both ends and setting screens. Unfortunately he hasn’t seemed to be a great fit with a couple players. Lineups with Simmons, Thybulle and Howard are what come to mind. The offense is just unpleasant to watch to say the least with these three, and with Embiid and Simmons often being staggered, Simmons seems to be with Howard fairly often. I don’t believe this is a good pairing at all. Howard has performed decently though and looks very good when he plays with the second unit, especially before Mike Scott’s injury. Let’s hope Rivers can find a different way to make rotations work to get the most out of Dwight and the bench in general.
Sixers early season grades: Tyrese Maxey
Tyrese Maxey has been a gem for the Sixers. A total steal after falling to No. 21, he’s done everything but disappoint. He did well in the few games that he was given a starting role and his 39-point performance against Denver showed the extent of his potential. With excellent ball-handling ability, blistering speed and quickness combined with an astonishing floater package, Maxey has become a very valuable asset for the Sixers, let’s hope to see further development and his potential…Maxey-mized.
Sixers early season grades: Furkan Korkmaz
The Turkish wing has been an alright player off the bench for the Sixers. He’s only shooting 33 percent from both the field and from 3 compared to 43 percent and 40.2 percent, respectively, last season. This may be partially due to the recent injury he’s had to deal with so we can give him the benefit of the doubt. It’s also only been 19 games. Let’s hope Korkmaz can start making shots and play his best.
Sixers early season grades: Matisse Thybulle
The sophomore is one of my lesser favored Sixers despite his charm. I don’t deny how elite his defense is and how much of an asset this is for the Sixers. Unfortunately, his offense seems to be almost as bad as his defense is good. Matisse can only be described as a liability in the offense. If he can just space the floor better and make shots from the outside, maybe become a smart cutter who can finish around the rim well or some kind of combination of both, Matisse can be one of the better wings around the league. Fortunately, it’s only his second season and he’s only 23. Let’s hope to see lots of development in this player’s offensive game because his defense is impeccable.