2019 Was a Year of Failure; 2020 Needs to Be a Year of Change for the Sixers
The Philadelphia 76ers currently sit in 6th place in the Eastern Conference.
Coming into this season if you asked every fan, coach, player, and pundit if the Sixers would be higher than the SIXTH seed entering 2020, not a single one of them could’ve guessed no.
Preseason talk about this team centered around the debate of who would get homecourt in the East and secure the #1 seed, the Milwaukee Bucks or Sixers? Now this team finds themselves in a situation that requires an uphill battle of surpassing at least two teams in the standings if they even want to secure home court for the opening round of the playoffs.
Clearly, with a reconstructed roster, every facet of the organization had to ensure a collective buy-in and trust in each other’s ability to execute the in-season steps necessary to reach this team’s desired goal: an NBA Championship. However, the current reality is every component of this organization has fallen short of a “contender” level and has to alter the way they’ve handled the first 36 games of the season.
Elton Brand Must Make a Trade(s)
Before I digress, I feel it’s necessary to express that I am NOT on the “trade Ben Simmons/Al Horford” wagon. Fans should still trust in the starting 5 and their ability/potential. Where the roster has clearly fallen short is complementary bench pieces. Once the starting 5 dissolves during a game and multitude of mixed starter/bench rotations cycle the floor, fans wonder “who (if anyone) is gonna provide a spark tonight?”.
This team currently lacks a guy who can consistently deliver on both ends of the floor (get well soon, Matisse Thybulle). Yes, Furkan Korkmaz has shown he’s much more reliable on the offensive end this season, but the worse kept secret is his evident liability status on the defensive end of the floor; his and Mike Scott’s defensive rating of 109 is only better than Trey Burke’s 110. Players like James Ennis and Thybulle can only be asked to do so much on a nightly basis.
Sticking to the name game, the Sixers could benefit immensely from a reliable, rotational stretch big – a role this team is bereft of -like Davis Bertans.
Brett Brown Needs to Figure Things Out
Through 36 games, the results just haven’t been up to expectations. Last season, he was often given the benefit of the doubt for having a starting lineup – comprised of major in-season acquisitions – who only played “x” amount of games together. Almost halfway into this season, with a starting lineup which was fully formed months prior to opening night, the same slack simply doesn’t apply. Even with a drastically different lineup which has started just 17/36 games together, a 10-7 record in those games is downright unacceptable. He has clearly been struggling to incorporate Al Horford of late, and with the team’s latest 3-game losing streak right after fans built up some Christmas confidence, it calls his ability to communicate and to motivate his players into question.
The microcosm of Ben Simmons and his overt refusal to take the necessary in-game steps to build a jumper, considering Brown had previously said earlier this season he expects “a three a night” says a lot about how effective Brown has been, beyond even the Xs and Os.
This Team Better Start Treating Each Game Equally
Most frustrating of all this season has been the evident lack of consistent effort. Sure, this team picked up a big win on Christmas against arguably the best team in the league, but how can one begin to explain their 3-game losing streak thereafter/ This team was looking to have a dominant last December until they lost 3 in a row mid-month, then won three in a row, then nullifying that with another batch of 3 straight Ls. Good teams win on Christmas, great teams then don’t lose 3 in a row. Good teams have a dominant record at home, great teams don’t go 7-11 in 18 road games. Good teams make the playoffs, great teams make the Finals. Great teams don’t play down to their opponents.
So far, the Sixers have been checking the boxes of a “good” team. If they want to start being “great,” it’s time for each and every starter and bench player to go out and have the passion and dignity to take care of business against playoff bubble teams like the Orlando Magic and at least put forth a better 48-minute effort than a 20-pt loss to playoff-caliber teams like the Indiana Pacers.
A lot needs to happen between now and mid-April for the Sixers to make some noise in the playoffs. From the front office down to the players, this organization needs to start to hold itself to higher standards. No, Elton Brand doesn’t need to make another blockbuster trade nor does Brown need to be fired, but some amendments need to be made to the way they’ve been doing things.
Hopefully, as a result, the players get inspired to put forth a more reliable, respectable performance night in and night out, which is reminiscent of a true contender.
Featured Image: nbcsports.com
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