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Philadelphia 76ers: Sifting through the hype and finding realistic expectations

By Vince Massara

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 22: Markelle Fultz walks on stage with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being drafted first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers during the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 22, 2017 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 22: Markelle Fultz walks on stage with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being drafted first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers during the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 22, 2017 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /
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BOSTON, MA – JANUARY 6: Joel Embiid
BOSTON, MA – JANUARY 6: Joel Embiid /

How good can the Philadelphia 76ers be?

The tricky part about assessing the Philadelphia 76ers’ expectations is the fact so little is known. They will be starting rookies, Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz. In fact, the two will be the share the majority of ball-handling duties. Although T. J. McConnell and Jerryd Bayless (remember him) should be able to soak minutes at point guard if the rookies do not take to the pace of the NBA as well as Philly would like.

Whilst the Philadelphia 76ers are placing a lot on Simmons, and Fultz, they have developed and acquired some great complimentary pieces. Robert Covington, J.J. Redick, Dario Saric, Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot, Nik Stauskas, Richaun Holmes, Amir Johnson, and Jahil Okafor are all solid to great complimentary pieces in the 76ers’ puzzle.

Covington and Redick should both start for the 76ers and will offer defense and floor spacing that the Sixers will need; playing with a ball-dominant big with limited shooting requires shooting around him. Philadelphia has that in abundance.  However, no matter what we say, there is ultimately one reason that will decide the 76ers’ expectations this season. Joel Embiid.

Joel Embiid has become a symbol of the ‘process’ himself. Sacrificing his short-term game for long-term success. Embiid has faced elongated stints on the sidelines and minutes restrictions to get his body right for a long NBA career. When Embiid finally stepped on an NBA floor last season, the rest of the league took notice. Although on a minutes restriction, his Per-36 statistics are arguably MVP-worthy.

Per-36 Minutes Table
Season FG% 3P% FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
2016-17 .466 .367 .783 2.8 8.3 11.1 3.0 1.2 3.5 5.4 5.1 28.7

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com

In fact, 13 of the Philadelphia 76ers’ 28 wins came in the 31 games Embiid played. The on/off stats are just as telling. With Embiid on the floor, they were 8.7 points better off per-100 possessions. Joel Embiid is the process.