The Philadelphia 76ers are off to a hot start this season, winning all four of their games thus far to kick off the campaign with an unblemished record. Their second-ranked offense turbocharged by the eye-popping production of both Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, as well as rock-solid contributions from Quentin Grimes, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Joel Embiid (despite being on a minutes restriction), has catapulted them into top place in the East in the early going.
As of writing, the 76ers are just a hair below the Rockets in offensive rating. Their scoring attack has become so potent that it has singlehandedly overcome theri putrid team defense, which clocks in fifth-worst in the league. And a big part of their surge on offense is their colossal improvement from beyond the arc.
Last season, Philadelphia was near the bottom of the league in all three-point shooting metrics, from makes, attempts, and conversion rate. This time around, they have seemed to put much emphasis on improving their perimeter shooting as a collective, ranking at or near the top of the association in various three-point shooting areas.
The 76ers have taken a leap from beyond the arc to start the season
The 76ers have drained 41.9 oercent of their three-point tries so far, which easily leads the league at this early juncture. Even more impressively, they are dong this while converting on 16.3 triples per outing which currently ranks third among all teams.
Last season, the 76ers made just 12.7 a game. While their current returns will probably come back down to earth, the team has more than sufficient ammo to keep hovering around their current mark with respect to their three-point shooting percentage and makes.
Maxey is literally functioning like a locked-in flamethrower right now, while Grimes has remained rock-solid from beyond the arc. The same goes for Oubre, who has shot the ball well to start the year. Edgecombe and Embiid have also not shied from firing away from rainbow country.
There is also the returning Jared McCain who is one of the best pure shooters on the roster. His presence alone will make their perimeter offense much more stable. We also cannot forget about Paul George, who is still a potent shooter in his own right.
The Philadelphia 76ers are not going to go undefeated this season — no team will. However, if they want to win as many games as they can, they need to maintain their current degree of competence in three-point shooting. Offense is their calling card right now, and sustained success from downtown will allow them to reach far greater heights, especially during the regular season.