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Five things you need to know about Sixers after eight games

The Sixers rank second in NBA in home attendance.

The Philadelphia 76ers’ Brett Brown talks with Ben Simmons (25) and Joel Embiid, right, before action against the Washington Wizards at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017. The Wizards won, 120-115.
The Philadelphia 76ers’ Brett Brown talks with Ben Simmons (25) and Joel Embiid, right, before action against the Washington Wizards at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017. The Wizards won, 120-115.Read more(Steven M. Falk/Staff Photographer)
    by Keith Pompey | Columnist
    Published 

Here are five things you need to know about the 76ers after eight games.

1. Ben Simmons is ranked fifth in the NBA in assists with 7.9 per game. He trails Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook (11.7 per game), Washington Wizards point guard John Wall (9.7), Houston Rockets point guard James Harden (9.2), and Cleveland Cavaliers small forward LeBron James (8.9).

2. Simmons recorded his fifth double-double in Wednesday's 119-109 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. He is the first player to have five or more double-doubles in his first eight games since Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns in the 2015-16 season.

3. The Sixers rank second in the NBA in home attendance with an average of 20,682 in their three home games. The struggling Chicago Bulls are somehow tops in the league at 21,483.

4. Foul shooting is the Sixers' Achilles heel. They rank last in the NBA at 67.3 percent. Robert Covington (88.9 percent), J.J. Redick (85.7) and Jerryd Bayless (83.3) are the only regular rotation players shooting better than 76 percent.

5. In addition to foul shooting, the Sixers need to cut down their turnovers. They rank 27th out of the league's 30 teams with 17.1 per game.