The Sixers are off to a good start. Their next few games could reveal how good they really are.
Sure, they have the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. But the competition hasn't exactly been elite. These next eight games will be a litmus test for the Sixers.
The 76ers are off to a good start.
They’re 3-1 and in second place in the Eastern Conference, one game behind the undefeated Boston Celtics.
Joel Embiid is still a dominant force despite still ramping up to tip-top shape. Tyrese Maxey is ascending into one of the NBA’s elite young stars. And Tobias Harris has benefited the most by the departure of James Harden.
It’s no wonder fans are jumping back on the bandwagon.
But if we’re going to be honest, the Sixers’ opposition has been mediocre, besides the Milwaukee Bucks. And even Milwaukee (3-2) is trying to find its groove.
So it’s hard to quantify how good the Sixers actually are.
It typically takes 15-20 games to get a true sense of a team’s level of play. The thing we do know is that Harden’s trade to the Los Angeles Clippers has been addition by subtraction, at least for the time being.
But we could get a sense how good the Sixers are during their upcoming stretch of eight games, including six at home.
The Sixers begin it Saturday afternoon against the Phoenix Suns at the Wells Fargo Center. Afterward, they’ll have home games against the Washington Wizards (Monday) and Celtics (Wednesday). Then they’ll face the Detroit Pistons (Friday) in the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament on the road. Afterward, the Sixers will entertain the Indiana Pacers in a two-game series (Nov. 12 and 14) before hosting the Celtics (Nov. 15) for the second time. And they’ll end the stretch on the road against the Atlanta Hawks (Nov. 17).
The Sixers should beat the Wizards (1-4), Pistons (2-4), Pacers (3-2), and Hawks (3-2).
On paper, Phoenix (2-3) and Boston (4-0) are supposed to be tough tests.
Despite their rough start, the Suns are a favorite to win the NBA title.
They boast an All-Star wing trio in Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal, who has yet to play this season because of a back injury. Booker returned in Thursday’s 132-121 loss to the San Antonio Spurs after missing three games with a sprained left ankle.
He and Durant could be tough defensive assignments for the Sixers.
» READ MORE: Tobias Harris capitalizing on James Harden’s absence
As the league’s best team, the Celtics are the true early-season barometer. They defeated the Pacers, 155-104, on Wednesday. Boston boasts All-NBA wings Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown along with Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday.
“Boston looks amazing,” Embiid said. “They look [like] the best team in the NBA, by far. They got everything. They are going to be hard to guard. That’s going to be a good way to judge us, see where we are at.
“But then again, you have to remember that [the Sixers are] a new team, a couple new players, key players. So we’re still learning how to play with each other. Win or lose, I hate losing, but win or lose, you have to always look at some of the positives. Find a way to get better.”
The Celtics acquired Holiday and Porzingis in separate trades this summer. Meanwhile, the Sixers traded two starters — Harden and P.J. Tucker — to the Clippers in Tuesday’s blockbuster three-team trade that included the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In addition to draft picks, the Sixers received forwards Marcus Morris, Robert Covington, KJ Martin, and Nic Batum from the Clippers. Batum is away from the team for personal reasons while Morris is ramping up his conditioning. The North Philly native did not play for L.A. in the preseason or start of the regular season.
Success over the next eight games would serve as a confidence boost. It would also validate the Sixers’ 3-1 start.
» READ MORE: Daryl Morey on failed James Harden trade to Sixers: ‘I think it was the right bet. We’d do the same thing.’
While they made mistakes, the Sixers were competitive against the Bucks in a 118-117 season-opening road setback without Harden on Oct. 26.
Two nights later, they posted a 114-107 road victory over the Toronto Raptors. In their Oct. 29 home-opener, they routed the Portland Trail Blazers, 126-98. And they defeated the Raptors, 114-99, on Thursday at home.
“I’m learning a lot about this team and these guys in the four games,” coach Nick Nurse said. “I think we are feeling more confident about some of the things that we can do all over the place — offensively, defensively, special teams-wise. That’s kind of the job, right now.
“Whatever happens in that game, we take that film and we break it down and we learn from it.”
On paper, the Bucks are a better team.
But the Sixers appear to be settling in better after the season opener. Milwaukee suffered lopsided losses to the Hawks and Raptors (2-4).
The Bucks made headlines this summer by acquiring Damian Lillard from the Blazers in a blockbuster three-team trade that originally sent Holiday to Portland. The Blazers later sent him to Boston in a separate deal.
It’s been obvious that Milwaukee has missed him.
» READ MORE: Among the Sixers’ positives from the trade: A better bench and no more Harden drama
A future Hall of Famer, Lillard is recognized as the better player. However, there are some who never thought the trade was a big upgrade.
They’ll point out the Bucks had the regular season’s best record of 58-24 last season with Holiday. They’ll mention that Holiday played a major role in Milwaukee winning the 2021 NBA title. And they’ll point out that the trade hasn’t been as impactful as some envisioned, at least early on.
Meanwhile, it’s hard not to like what Nurse is doing.
The Sixers defense has improved. Maxey is a better player. Harris is a better shooter, and the team has better ball movement.
So they’re capable of being the conference’s second-best team behind the Celtics. But we’ll get a barometer of how good the Sixers are and areas of need over the next eight games.