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.
Five biggest positives from Sixers’ 6-2 start: Andre Drummond’s dominance
Andre Drummond entered the season with a considerable chip on his shoulder. Just a few years removed from All-Star contention, the 28-year-old was signed to a veteran’s minimum contract to serve exclusively as the backup center to the most dominant interior force in basketball.
That said, with a strong player-coach relationship at play and renewed purpose on the court, Drummond’s early-season success has been nothing short of revelatory. He looks tailor-made to the backup role, giving maximum two-way effort for 15-20 minutes a night and injecting more creativity and flavor into the offense than any Sixers backup before him.
There are still stretches of mind-boggling over-confidence from Drummond, who plays with the arrogance and bravado of a Nikola Jokic-level star. He tries passes no human should try, but hey — sometimes they actually work. His brand of chaos is extremely beneficial in small doses, and the Sixers’ second unit has reaped the benefits so far.
We will see if Drummond’s production continues, but there’s no reason to expect any sharp decline. A Ben Simmons return could put a dent in his minutes (assuming Doc Rivers’ aspirations of Simmons as a small-ball five were truthfully conveyed), but even then, it’s hard to imagine Drummond’s talent not getting him on the floor.
He’s averaging 11.9 points, 18.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 3.7 steals, and 1.7 blocks per 36 minutes.
Five biggest positives from Sixers’ 6-2 start: The Niang Gang
The main question all summer was did the Sixers do enough? With Ben Simmons’ holdout looming and a recent postseason defeat fresh on the mind, Philadelphia didn’t swing any major trades, or sign any big-name free agents. The only sizable “changes” were a new backup center in Andre Drummond and a new stretch four in Georges Niang. Safe to say, both have worked out so far.
Next to Drummond, the former Jazzman Niang has been the Sixers’ most effective bench player. He’s hitting 44.4 percent of his 3s, playing a career-high 21.4 minutes per game, and showcasing layers of his skill set hitherto unseen.
Niang was buried under a mountain of wing and forward depth in Utah. The Sixers have given him a featured role in the second unit. On top of his prolific spot-up shooting, Niang has proven surprisingly adept at beating closeouts, facilitating to teammates, and holding down the fort defensively. He is not only an upgrade over Mike Scott, but possibly one of the best reserves of the Joel Embiid era.
With both of the Sixers’ two biggest offseason additions outperforming expectations, it’s hard not to proceed optimistically. The bench looks like a genuine strength, which hasn’t been the case since before Brett Brown took over as head coach. Philly has been able to traverse early-season injuries in large part due to Niang’s wide-ranging impact. On top of that, he’s a world-class person and teammate by all accounts.
Five biggest positives from Sixers’ 6-2 start: Joel Embiid’s DPOY case
Joel Embiid’s offensive production, so far, has been less than desirable. He’s averaging 20.6 points per game (a career low) on .413/.321/.790 shooting splits, which is not what you expect from the reigning MVP runner-up. With the Sixers’ next-best player sitting at home and Tobias Harris slated to miss a week-plus due to COVID, it would be easy to panic.
And yet, the Sixers are 6-2, riding a four-game win streak that includes a massively impressive home win over the Chicago Bulls without three starters on Wednesday. Embiid has played a key role in that success, even in the midst of a shooting slump.
So far, the 7-footer is averaging 1.0 steal and 1.6 blocks per game while playing the most active defense of his career. Embiid has always been one of the top defenders in the NBA, but this season — with his offense in the gutter — Embiid has made himself the frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year. He’s absolutely everywhere, channeling his offensive frustrations into defensive dominance.
We still have a long way to go — and injuries could derail his awards campaign — but there hasn’t been a better defender in basketball through eight games. Embiid looks at his absolute prime on that side of the ball, and logic would suggest his shooting numbers will improve as time goes on. He’s the Sixers’ best player on both ends, and still very much the lifeblood of a contender.
Five biggest positives from Sixers’ 6-2 start: Playmaking depth
Let me be clear — the Sixers absolutely miss Ben Simmons. His absence is felt on both sides of the ball, and will be felt more keenly when Philadelphia’s inevitable shooting regression kicks in. The Sixers should absolutely hope for a trade or a return to action sooner than later.
That said, Philadelphia has weathered the storm of Simmons’ absence quite impressively. Despite missed time from three of the five starters and a severe lack of experience at point guard, the Sixers sit in second place.
A lot of credit goes to Tyrese Maxey, who has mostly thrived in his first taste of starting minutes at the NBA level. He’s not without his warps — Maxey is a total non-factor off the ball and he’s still learning the ropes defensively — but for a 20-year-old, 6-foot-2 guard, it’s hard not to appreciate Maxey’s contributions. He is averaging 14.0 points and 4.3 assists on 49.4 percent shooting.
Credit also goes to Shake Milton, who has been exceedingly solid upon his return from injury. It’s still early, but he looks considerably improved over last season, both as a shooter (50 percent from the field) and as a playmaker, which is most important in Simmons’ absence.
That said, the most credit belongs to the collective. Joel Embiid is averaging 4.3 assists (a career high) to 2.7 turnovers (a career low). Tobias Harris is also averaging a career-high 4.2 assists per game, while Georges Niang, Furkan Korkmaz, and Andre Drummond have all provided ambitious passing in secondary roles.
The Sixers are moving the ball and generating good looks despite missing one of the best facilitators in the NBA. Again, that’s not to say Simmons’ absence isn’t felt, but it does speak to the competitive spirit and adaptability of the roster at hand.