(All stats and records through Jan. 15; for report cards for all 30 teams click here.)
Offense: 98.5, 30th Overall
Defense: 105, 13th Overall
W-L | Pct. | GB
12-26 | .316 | 16.5
Conf.: 8-14
Div.: 3-4
Home: 8-14
Road: 4-12
FRONTCOURT: B
Joel Embiid and Ersan Ilyasova have been a strong combination up front. The Sixers have outscored their opponents by 8.8 points per 100 possessions with the two on the floor together. Robert Covington has struggled with his shot.
BACKCOURT: D
It’s been 3 ½ years since the Sixers traded Jrue Holiday, and they still don’t have a starting-level point guard. Sergio Rodriguez and T.J. McConnell are good passers, but not threats to score. Gerald Henderson doesn’t shoot enough.
DEFENSE: B
After a rough start, the Sixers have been a top-five defensive team since early December. Embiid is the rare rookie that’s an impact player defensively, and the Sixers have the numbers of the league’s best defense with him and Ilyasova playing together.
BENCH: F
With injuries to Jerryd Bayless and Ben Simmons, the Sixers’ depth has taken a hit. Dario Saric has shown improvement over his first three months in the league, but the Sixers have the league’s second worst bench NetRtg.
COACHING: B
It’s Brett Brown’s fourth season on the bench, and we’ve yet to learn what he’d do with a team that has experienced NBA talent. He does have the Sixers playing good defense again and they take the right shots.
OVERALL GRADE: D
The Sixers are still a long way from playoff contention, but Year 4 of “the process” has been the best one, because of how good “The Process” has been. Embiid is the real deal, an incredible combination of size and skill that was worth the wait. Even with a minutes restriction, he’s the surefire Rookie of the Year.
Simmons (the team’s best playmaker) is making progress toward his eventual debut, but the Sixers still have an imbalanced roster and a need for an upgrade or two in the backcourt. The issue is that it takes at least two teams to make a trade and the whole league knows that Philly needs to deal Nerlens Noel or (preferably) Jahlil Okafor.
For now, the Sixers are still in the bottom tier of the league. But they’ve already surpassed last season’s win total and have shown clear improvement as the season has gone on. Embiid has not only given Philadelphia a vision of the future, but he’s made the present a lot more enjoyable to watch.
John Schuhmann is a staff writer for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
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