The Philadelphia 76ers spent the All-Star break hoping that a soft reset would give them a much-needed jolt to approach the final stretch of the regular season strongly and possibly break into the postseason picture, but from what can be gleaned from their previous games, they should perhaps just abandon their ambitious escapade.
Since they resumed play, the 76ers have turned in a couple of losses at the Wells Fargo Center, first to the Boston Celtics, and most recently, to the lowly Brooklyn Nets, which have already overtaken them in the standings after beating Philly at the horn to send them to their sixth consecutive loss.
Clearly, the 76ers are collapsing, and while they could still realistically make at least the play-in tournament, there really isn't any compelling reason to actively advocate for this team to exhaust everything it has to make it there, only to get sent home by a much superior team.
76ers find huge silver lining amid ongoing collapse thanks to Quentin Grimes
The fans are clearly frustrated with the squad, yet despite this disaster class they are brewing, the 76ers are not bereft of silver linings, even amid this losing streak thanks to Quentin Grimes, who has been huge for the team since arriving from Dallas before the trade deadline.
Grimes, who was already posting a strong season for the Mavericks before the trade, has turned it up even more for the 76ers, even getting a promotion to the starting lineup. In six games so far donning the team's colorway, the 24-year-old has tallied 15.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game, shooting 47.3 percent from the floor.
The 6'5" wing has breathed new life into the 76ers on the backcourt, giving them another reliable weapon to brandish for both the present and the immediate future.
Grimes will be a restricted free agent after this season, but from the looks of it, the front office seems poised to hand him a new contract. That, in addition to his counterpart in the trade still not having suited up for his new team due to injury, gives the 76ers a clear win on that deal.
The Philadelphia 76ers probably want this season to be removed from general consciousness, although that could prove impossible given the huge way they have fumbled expectations. But at least, they will be concluding it while housing some feel-good stories in their favor, such as Quentim Grimes.