Heading into this season of Sixers basketball, we knew that there was a strong possibility the team would not reach double digit wins. Luc Mbah a Moute is the most experienced player on the team, with the exception of the injured Jason Richardson, and the team lacked any real scoring threat beyond Carter-Williams and Tony Wroten. There were unknowns when it came to Nerlens Noel and his other rookie teammates as well.
Now 53 games into the 82 game NBA season, the Sixers have somewhat exceeded expectation, winning 12 games thus far and playing very competitively against league powerhouses including the Hawks, Warriors and Cavaliers.
To start the season, the Sixers lost 17 games before beating Thaddeus Young and the Timberwolves, 85-77, on December 3rd. Two days after that, they notched their second win in Detroit, 108-101, in overtime after Hollis Thompson tied things up thanks to a desperation fade-away three-pointer with seconds remaining. It took until January 5th for them to tally their first win at home, 95-92 over the Cavs, who were without LeBron and Kyrie Irving at the time. After beating Cleveland, the team went on to win two of their next three against Brooklyn and Indiana.
The team lost six straight between January 17th and January 26th before pounding the Pistons at home by 20, 89-69. They went on to win two in a row thanks to a victory against the T'Wolves on January 30th, 103-94. Since then the Sixers other wins have come against the Nuggets on February 3rd and the Hornets back on the 7th of this month.
This young team is focusing primarily on player development through this rebuild process that will continue for seasons to come and there are some players who have shown promise through the year. Next, we will take a look at the roster and highlight some notable players on the team as we enter the All-Star Break.
Michael Carter-Williams: In 41 games played this season so far, MCW is averaging 15 points, 7.4 assists and 6.2 rebounds per game. He sat out a chunk of games at the beginning of the year while recovering from shoulder surgery and has recently been on the mend due to a toe ailment. The biggest flaw in MCW's game this season is his shooting. You have to take into consideration that he isn't supposed to be the guy taking the big shots. Without an effective scorer, more pressure is put on top of him to score points, rather than dishing assists to his teammates. Last season, MCW shot 40.5% from the field and 70.3% from the free throw line. This season, his field-goal percentage has dropped to 38& and his free throw shooting has fallen to 64.3%. He is also averaging 0.7 more turnovers this season. Obviously, with the loss of guys like Thaddeus Young and even Evan Turner, MCW's stats were bound to regress. In his last few games before getting hurt, he has shown to make some better decisions and has looked more comfortable with ball movement. In three of his last four games prior to getting injured, Carter-Williams notched double-digit assists and also earned a triple-double in the team's win against Minnesota at the end of January.
Tony Wroten: Though it has been nearly a month since he played his last game, Tony Wroten still leads the Sixers in scoring. Before succumbing to a knee injury, Wroten was averaging 16.9 points, 5.2 assists and 2.9 rebounds in just under 30 minutes per game. Though his shooting percentage dipped a few points, Woten raised his three-point percentage from 21.3% in 2013-14 to 26.1% this season. Sure, not compelling numbers, but still an improvement. His assists numbers are up from last year and he was scoring nearly six points higher than his career average before the injury. Wroten is best known for his ability to drive to the rim and score, but sometimes he did not look for the best shot. Instead of slowing things down, he'd make a quick decision that'd result in a turnover. Wroten is similar to Lou Williams in my opinion. Both players that are explosive to the rim and can have really great nights and then have really bad ones. Though the team seems to be moving on without him, the Sixers depth at point guard is extremely thin at this point. He did an honorable job filling in for MCW when he was out at the beginning of the year.
Luc Mbah a Moute: The six-year veteran out of UCLA is the most experienced on the active roster for the Sixers and the 28-year-old has really come into his own in his time with Philadelphia. On the season, he is averaging 10 points and 4.9 rebounds a game but over the last ten games, he is averaging 12.5 points and 5.7 rebounds in just under 32 minutes per game. When it comes to veteran leadership, the Sixers don't have much, so Mbah a Moute has attempted to be that solid influence on the young group throughout the year. He can play the three or four spots in the lineup and has been a relatively reliable player all around.
Nerlens Noel: The offseason headline for the Sixers was the debut of their coveted draft pick from last season who sat out all year to recover from a torn ACL. Noel has shown signs of potential, but still is just very raw talent at best. So far this season, he is averaging 8.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, 1.6 assists and 1.59 assists per game. Noel has struggled to develop any kind of consistent offensive game, but has recently managed to put up solid numbers. He has scored in double digits in five of the Sixers last seven games and has grabbed seven or more rebounds in those games as well. The thing that concerns me about Noel is his size. If he expects to compete with the bigs in this league like Dwight Howard, Joakim Noah and others, he will need to bulk up a good bit and develop a post-game, even with Joel Embiid waiting in the wings. Noel's shining moments come on defense. He protects the rim with reckless abandon. He leads the rookie class is blocks, steals and rebounds. Noel continues to be a work in progress, but seems to be getting more comfortable with the pace of the NBA game.
KJ McDaniels: Drafted by the Sixers in the second round out of Clemson, McDaniels is an explosive player on the defensive end and has shown his ability to create plays on offense as well. This season, KJ is averaging 9.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He ranks third in the rookie class with 1.31 blocks per game and also ranks in the top ten in steals, rebounds and field goal percentage. Offensively, McDaniels started off the season very well, shooting 46.2% from the floor in November and 39.5% from three-point range. Since then, his shooting touch has fallen off. His three point percentage was a dismal 18.2% in December and though he rebounded to shoot 31.1% from beyond the arc in January, the numbers are back down to 18.2% thus far in February. In terms of field-goal percentage, he is at 39.9% for the season. Like Noel, McDaniels is very good at rim protection. At 6'6", KJ can get up there with the best of them to block or throw down a nasty self alley-oop. Overall, I was disappointed to see his long-range shooting suffer as the season progressed, but perhaps it is just rookie experience.
Jerami Grant: Selected 39th overall in this past draft, Grant didn't see his first game action until December 1st due to injury and though he was slow at becoming comfortable, he has since become on of the emerging players on this roster. In just under 19 minutes per game, Grant is averaging 5.7 points, three rebounds and 1.1 blocks. Over the Sixers last ten, he is averaging 8.6 points and 3.6 rebounds. Grant really shined for the Sixers during the month of January, shooting 45.7% from the floor and 47.4% from beyond the arc.
Robert Covington: Perhaps one of the biggest stars from the Sixers season thus far is Robert Covington. Snatched up from the Houston Rockets D-League team, Covington has proven to be the main provider of scoring for the Sixers, especially since the injury to Tony Wroten. So far this season, Covington is averaging 13.2 points 4.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. In the Sixers last five games, he has been averaging 18.8 points and 6.6 rebounds. He has been one of the Sixers better players from beyond the arc, shooting 38.9% and is also shooting 44.1% from the field thus far in February. Covington is also the Sixers most effective free-throw shooter, sinking 83.5% of hits shots from the line. Big Shot Bob was recently selected to take Michael Carter-Williams spot in the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge since MCW is nursing a toe injury.
Hollis Thompson: The Sixers opening night starter at shooting guard had a run in with a respiratory infection, causing him to miss 11 games between December 21st and January 13th. Though his offense leaves plenty to be desired, Thompson contributed eight points per games to go along with 3.2 rebounds. As mentioned before, his shooting isn't really anything to write home about, but he is shooting 39.1% from the field and 35.9% from three-point range. Thompson seems to have better stats when the team wins. In the Sixers 12 victories, Thompson has averaged 10.6 points, 2.7 rebounds while shooting 45.6% compared to 37.7% in losses. He is off to a good start to February, shooting 47.9% and 52% from long distance in five games.
Through 53 games, the Sixers rank last in the NBA in points per game (89.8), 21st in rebounds (42.2), 27th in assists (20.3) and 20th in points allowed (100.5). The Sixers turn the ball over 18.6 times per game, worst in the league. On the other hand, they lead the NBA with 9.8 steals per game and rank fourth in the NBA in blocks with six per game. Needless to say, there defense is really coming together while the offense still needs a good bit of work.
The Sixers return to action on February 20th at the Wells Fargo Center as they host the Indiana Pacers at 7PM.
