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The Hope In Losing: How The Philadelphia 76ers Have Used This Season to Create Optimism

By Julius Lasin

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In the midst of their binge losing, the Philadelphia 76ers have used this season to create optimism 

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On a night where many NBA fans and pundits were fixated and occupied with the sudden trade of mercurial talents like J.R. Smith and Dion Waiters, the Philadelphia 76ers pulled off a mildly surprising upset when they defeated Waiters’ former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers 95-92.

Although the Cavaliers were without superstars Kyrie Irving and LeBron James, they were still favored by at least 4.5 by most gambling services. But thanks to strong contributions by young players like Robert Covington, K.J. McDaniels and Tony Wroten, the Sixers were able escape with their first home win of the season.

The win marked only the Sixers’ fifth win of the season, but it did reinforce the notion that the Sixers have several exciting young pieces that they can build and nurture during this long rebuilding process.

Although the most integral piece of Sam Hinkie’s rebuilding plan, Michael Carter-Williams, who continues to be hampered by a shoulder injury sustained before this season, has shown encouraging signs in the last couple of games that should quell any concerns that the Sixers’ brass or fans have.

After being an inept shooter and facilitator in games at Golden State and Utah, Carter-Williams has bounced back to the tune of 17.5 points per game, 9 assists per game and 6.5 rebounds per game in his last two games.

Dec 23, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard

Michael Carter-Williams

(1) dribbles the ball against Miami Heat during the first half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

In lieu of Carter-Williams’ struggles and injuries this season, the Philadelphia 76ers have been able to rely on, and hand the ball to third-year guard, Tony Wroten.

Wroten has seen his minutes skyrocket this season to over 30 minutes per game, and as a result the 6’6″ wiry combo guard has been able to provide the Sixers with an explosive offensive athlete that can score off the dribble and create for the other out-of-this-world athletes that the Sixers have on their roster.

For the Sixers’ willingness (to use) and confidence in him, Wroten has rewarded them with career-highs in points, assists and steals with an impressive line of 17.3 points, 5.3 and 1.7 (averages).

Despite being on the floor longer and having his usage rate increase by two percent, Wroten has displayed better efficiency this year than he has in years past. Even though Wroten is still far from a decent outside shooter, his shooting is a cause for optimism for the Philadelphia 76ers, as evidenced by his almost 8 percent increase from the three-point line this season.

Another gem that the Philadelphia 76ers were able to find this season was Robert Covington. The second-year undrafted free agent out of Tennessee State has been a revelation for the Sixers, averaging 12.1 points and 4.4 rebounds in 23 games this season. 

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Covington, who shoots 43.5 percent from the three-point line, has been valuable to the Sixers because he has allowed coach Brett Brown to tinker with his lineups without sacrificing much size or spacing, due to his 6’9″ frame and versatility.

Though the Philadelphia 76ers have been able to scavenge and discover under-appreciated and underutilized talents via trades and free agency, they have also been able to navigate through the draft to find young assets that may end up paying huge dividends for the organization.

One of the biggest draft day coups that the Sixers have been able to get is rookie K.J. McDaniels, who they managed to nab in the second round of this past year’s draft.

McDaniels, who was seen as a bit of a tweener prior to the draft, hasn’t been able to completely shake that label off of his game yet, but he has displayed athleticism and versatility — especially on the defensive end of the floor — that could prove to be valuable down the line.

The former Clemson Tiger has used his spring-like leaping ability to (spectacularly) send back 1.5 shots per game as well as emphatically finish around the rim. However, McDaniels still doesn’t have the necessary shooting (he shoots 28.4 percent from three) or creating ability (averages only 1.2 assists per game) to give him a concrete position on the floor, which sometimes creates issues with spacing when he’s in the game.

In addition to McDaniels, the Sixers also used the draft to acquire rookie center Nerlens Noel. The University of Kentucky-product was forced to miss his first NBA season due to a knee injury, but the time off has seemingly allowed Noel to physically adjust to the NBA game.

Even though Noel is still working his way through growing pains on the offensive end, his defensive and rebounding prowess is difficult to ignore. Noel’s quickness allows the Sixers to show and attack on pick and rolls, and when teams work away from Noel, he is able to come in from the weakside to block shots (1.4 blocks per game).

Like Noel, all of the young Philadelphia 76ers are still rough around the edges and have yet to completely develop, but they have all shown flashes of brilliance and game-changing ability.

With that said, the Sixers will still slog through this season and most likely finish in the bottom five of the league. However, the team can take solace in the fact that they may have found, and cultivated, effective young and affordable players that the will be ready for “the moment” once the team is poised to make a playoff run.

The Philadelphia 76ers have a bright future.

Next: How The Detroit Pistons Have Turned Their Season Around