Since winning four straight outings to start the season, the Philadelphia 76ers have dropped five of their last eight contests, pushing them to sixth place in the East in the early going with a 7-5 win-loss card. Even this early, the team’s biggest weakness has been as clear as day as their mediocre team defense remains a huge headache.
Philly has clocked in as one of the better offensive teams in the league, touting a seventh-ranked offensive rating. Defense, however, has been a massive problem for them. As of writing, they are 19th in the league in defensive rating, so preventing points has most definitely not been a forte for this ball club.
Until the 76ers fix their messy defensive miscues, they will never be considered as a real threat to even be in the loop of bona fide contenders for the championship this season or really, moving forward. And without a significant leap as a point-preventing unit, they will remain vulnerable to losing to teams despite their talent advantage for the most part.
The 76ers are not real contenders as they are still a mediocre defensive team
Philly’s most recent game against a shorthanded Detroit Pistons team is perhaps the best example of why defense should be a massive point of emphasis for this group. Despite their opponent missing its best players, the 76ers managed to lose to the tune of a double-digit deficit, and again, it was their defense that let them down.
Teams that fare well on defense have a much higher floor to succeed during the regular season and most especially in the playoffs. It is what separates good teams from great ones, and the 76ers cannot possible be content with just making it back to the playoffs, right?
Getting players who have well-known acuities on defense like Paul George should help, but defense is a team-wide concept. And the prospect of relying on an aging star, who is already on a decline and is coming off another major injury, to raise their collective ceiling as a defensive units, is as dangerous as it can be.
The 76ers have to take defense much more seriously than they currently do. Without it, people will not consider them as having a real shot to win the title, much less make real noise in the Eastern Conference playoffs. After all, their lack of commitment on that end will always defeat whatever advantage they may have on the scoring end.