Brandon Apter (@bapter23), Managing Editor
At 1-25, there is hardly anything to be excited about as a Sixers fan. Sure, Jahlil Okafor just posted his fourth straight game with 20+ points, but Nerlens Noel has been disappointing, Isaiah Canaan has been erratic and there's just not a time that we've seen this team put together a full 48 minutes, with the exception of their only win against the Lakers. With still over 50 games to go, let's take a look at the teams' main contributors and how they sort out at this point in the season:
Nerlens Noel - For a guy that showed a ton of promise last season, Noel has taken a step back in 2015-16. In his first season back from an ACL injury, the Kentucky alumni nearly won Rookie of the Year after posting averages of 9.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.9 blocks and 2.1 steals per game. He shot 46.2 percent from the floor and 60.9 percent from the line. This year has been a little different. With the addition of Jahlil Okafor, Noel has had less opportunity to drive to the basket and create passing opportunities off the dribble. His rebound average is down to 7.8, assists down to 1.3, steals to 1.7 and blocks to 1.0. In addition, his turnovers per game has jumped from 1.9 to 2.9. Offensively, he has struggled as well, shooting 43.1 percent from the floor and 56.5 percent from the line. Noel has deal with knee issues that could be a reason his play has dipped, but he'll need to show improvement quickly if he wants to keep his team in games Grade: B-
Isaiah Canaan - When this guy is on, it rains from beyond the arc and it is a deadly weapon. But, when Canaan doesn't find his stroke, it doesn't keep him from shooting, which is the issue. You don't need numbers to show you that Canaan isn't the guy to be running the show late in the game, but here they are anyway. In the fourth quarter, Canaan is shooting just 27.1 percent and 26.2 percent from downtown, which is well below the numbers from quarters one through three. This season overall, he's averaging 10.4 points and 2.2 assists per game but only shooting 33.2 percent from the floor and 35.1 percent from beyond the arc. To put that in perspective, his three-point game is really his only attribute. He has hit just 28.9 percent of his shots from inside the arc, which is a big concern. Obviously, at six foot even he doesn't have a ton of size to drive into the lane, but a mid-range game would make him a lot more of a threat Grade: D+
Nik Stauskas - Many consider Stauskas to be a bust and they'd be right. Selected as the eighth overall pick in the 2014 draft, Stauskas has yet to show the promise he did in college at the NBA level. The Kings sent him to the Sixers for all of nothing and it has taken some time for the 22-year-old Canada native to get comfortable in a new environment. Most importantly, Stauskas is getting more time on the floor in Brett Brown's offense to work on his struggles and become a more effective shooter. Early in the year, Nik was hesitant on his shots, but has shown much better footwork lately and has been following though on his shots. Though fans may expect three-point shots from him, Nik is shooting 45.7 percent on two-pointers compared to 28.8 percent from three-point range. Through eight games in December, he is showing improvement on his shots, hitting 40.4 percent overall (32.1 in November) and 30.3 (27.0 in November) percent from beyond the arc. Obviously, he's still a work in progress. He's averaging 8.1 points in just under 25 minutes per game Grade: D
Jerami Grant - If Grant could develop a strong mid-range shot and a somewhat consistent one from downtown, he could be a pretty solid option for a small power forward in the NBA. Unlike his teammate Nerlens Noel, Grant is improving in his second season with Philadelphia. His defense has gotten much better (he had five blocks against the Bulls on Monday) and his field-goal percentage has jumped from 35.2 percent to 41.9 percent. His three-point game though has dipped, as the second year forward is shooting just under 19 percent for the season. He is averaging 1.9 blocks per game to go along with 9.7 points and 4.9 rebounds. Sure, there are improvements that can be made, but Grant is who he is and that's okay for this team. Grade: B-
Jahlil Okafor - Boston incidents aside, Okafor has been dominant for the Sixers. He is the post presence they've been looking for and he's really come into his own over the last four games. Jahlil has scored 22 or more points and grabbed six or more rebounds in each of his last four games, the first Sixers rookie to do so since Billy Cunningham in the 1965-66 season. He has double-doubles in three of his last seven games as well. Okafor leads this year's rookie class in points per game (17.8) and minutes (32.6) and he also ranks second in double-doubles with seven, behind Karl Anthony-Towns and Kristaps Porzingis who both have 10. Jahlil also ranks behind those two in rebounds with 8.1 per game. If anything, Okafor has a ways to go on the defensive end of the ball, but his offensive abilities in the post are undeniable. Grade: A-
T.J. McConnell - I don't think anyone saw McConnell as this teams' number one point guard this season, but he has really made a place for himself in the Sixers lineup, despite the returns of both Tony Wroten and Kendall Marshall. Though his minutes will go down with those two back in the mix, McConnell has developed a nice chemistry with his team, especially Nerlens Noel. The undrafted rookie out of Arizona is second among rookies in assists with 5.4 per game and eighth in scoring with seven points per game. He's shooting a respectable 46.3 percent, good for third among rookies, but has only attempted seven free throws all season. Expect solid play from him throughout the season, even if his role becomes diminished in a team that suddenly has guard depth. Grade: B+
Richaun Holmes - I wish we could see more of Holmes, but he just hasn't played enough to really judge his outlook. He showed signed of promise on Monday against the Bulls, refusing to back down from veteran big-man Pau Gasol. The Sixers second round pick from this past draft plays in just under 14 minutes per game and really makes the most of his time on the court. He's shooting 56.9 from the floor but is averaging just 5.4 points per game. With a crowded front court that already has Noel, Okafor and Grant, Holmes has to show what he's got in short spurts. He's averaging 6.6 points per game in December, but only has nine points over the last three games after scoring 14 against Brooklyn back on the 10th of the month. Grade: C+
Robert Covington - The Sixers missed his scoring ability while he rested a knee injury twice already this season, but Covington's presence hasn't really changed things much, at least not recently. Like Canaan, Covington relies primarily on his long-range shooting, but unlike Isaiah, he isn't afraid to take the occasional drive to the hoop to get the line or for an easy lay-in. His 32.3 percent shooting line from beyond the arc is down a bit from last year, when he shot 39.6 from that range. While most of his shots do come from three-point land, he should really take some more chances driving to the rim, where's he shoots 61 percent. The Sixers, though, seem to follow Covington's pace during a game. Robert's success comes mostly in the first half, shooting 44.5 percent in the first half and only 33.1 percent in the second half, when the team has its issues staying in the game. He needs to do more, but on a young Sixers team that constantly trails, he has to stick to long-range shots as Jahlil Okafor usually takes care of shots down low. RC3 is averging 13.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game Grade: B-
The Sixers return to action at 8PM on Wednesday night against the Hawks at Phillips Arena in Atlanta.
