8. Philadelphia 76ers (19-11)
Since acquiring Jimmy Butler, the Philadelphia 76ers are 10-3 in games which he’s played in. Recently, though, they’ve struggled as he’s been sidelined with an injury. In the two games he’s missed due to injury, the team is 0-2.
At the same rate, Joel Embiid has really struggled with his game on top of Butler being injured. Embiid has had two really good bounce back games (both resulting in losses) but he has really struggled to open the month of December.
It was great to see him breakout of his slump, but the fact that his two breakout performances aren’t resulting in wins is a bit concerning. Perhaps there’s something to watch on that front.