The Sixers have weathered significant roster depletion and no shortage of drama to arrive at 6-2 on the young NBA season — tied for second in the East, only a half-game behind the 6-1 Miami Heat. While not every sign is positive, and there’s a good chance for regression, it’s hard not to appreciate Philadelphia’s red-hot start.
This team has dealt with a whirlwind of criticism and uncertainty ever since last season’s unfortunate second round collapse. Ben Simmons continues to miss time, and now Tobias Harris and Danny Green are both slated to miss multiple games. Just the other day, the Sixers toppled Portland with all three max players riding the pine (or sitting at home).
With serious momentum building and some truly positive vibes around the franchise, here are some of the biggest positives from an admirable beginning to what should be a trying and difficult season.
Five biggest positives from Sixers’ 6-2 start: Seth Curry’s leap
On the heels of a dominant playoffs run, Seth Curry has continued to set the nets ablaze in the new season. He’s averaging 17.1 points per game, which would by far mark his career high, while hitting 53.7 percent of his 3-point attempts. That number probably won’t hold all year, but Curry’s confidence has grown tenfold since the beginning of last season. He’s still absurdly efficient, but now he’s taking (and making) the shots of a genuine go-to scorer, not a strictly complementary player.
Defense is still a weakness, and Curry’s inevitable regression to the mean could involve some uncharacteristically cold nights. How he weathers such a cold spell will tell us a lot, but right now, there’s reason to believe he has taken a very legitimate leap. He looks like not only a top-100 NBA player, but arguably the best shooter in the NBA outside his brother.
The Sixers’ most reliable perimeter option in crunch time is Seth Curry. The Sixer most dominant out of two-man actions with Joel Embiid is Seth Curry. The play best suited to shoulder extra playmaking duties in Ben Simmons’ absence is Seth Curry. We have not seen the end of his expanded contributions.