After a rousing start to the season where they won their first four games, the Philadelphia 76ers have come back down to earth. Since their impressive opening week stretch, the team has gone on to drop eight of its next 13 games, largely due to the injury bug still biting the team as hard as it possibly can.
However, there is no reason to panic. Aside from the fact that the season is still young, the 76ers have made some legitimate improvements that should pay dividends down the road. Case in point? Look no further than their three-point shooting, which has been night and day compared to what it was last season and in recent years.
So far, the 76ers are eighth in the league in three-point shooting percentage, having drained 37.4 percent of their attempts from rainbow country through 17 games. And unlike in years past, the team has become much more willing to fire away from beyond the arc, climbing up to the middle of the pack in both attempts and makes per game.
While that seems subliminal given the many troubles surrounding the group, staying consistent on this trail will come a long way when they are in high-stakes games.
The 76ers have become a much improved three-point shooting team
Being a great three-point shooting ball club is a tremendous floor-raiser in the regular season. After all, just from the math alone, having the ability to drain triples with consistency is enough to mask some team-wide flaws that would normally cascade into a formula for defeat.
For example, while the 76ers have been losing a lot lately, their three-point shooting was one of, if not the primary reason, behind them racking up wins early on despite their putrid team defense.
Of course, that is not to say that the 76ers should only zoom in on emphasizing their perimeter shooting. Still, one cannot deny that there is indubitable power with the three-point shot, and the 76ers offense has greatly benefited from it. Alas, it opens up a lot of legroom for the likes of Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe to operate more smoothly.
As the 76ers (hopefully) start getting healthier bodies despite the intermittent setbacks, the team should remain persistent in their missive to improve across the board. Having said that, staying consistent and building on their much better three-point shooting as a collective should be near the top of their list, especially since the goal is to make noise in the playoffs.