So far, the Sixers have been NBA’s biggest disappointment. They’re determined to change that
They’re on a defining two-game road trip against the Pistons and Hornets. Seasons ago, those games were considered guaranteed wins. Now, they’ll be viewed as momentum victories.
DETROIT — The 76ers weren’t a sure thing. They were, though, a much surer thing than they are now.
According to the Basketball Reference preseason odds, the Sixers had the eighth-best odds to win the NBA title. They were just ahead of the Golden State Warriors and way ahead of the Houston Rockets, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Orlando Magic.
While those teams have all defied their early odds, the Sixers have been this season’s biggest disappointment.
» READ MORE: Paul George’s return to the starting lineup helps push the Sixers past the Pistons, 111-96
Now, they’re on a two-game road trip against the traditional Eastern Conference cellar dwellers, the Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets. The Sixers defeated Detroit, 111-96, Saturday night at Little Caesars Arena for what was a much-needed victory. The contest against the Pistons, who dropped to 9-13 record, was somewhat of a barometer for a Sixers squad that at 4-14, is tied with the Utah Jazz for the third worst record in the league.
Aside from health, the biggest uncertainty was whether the Sixers could keep up with the young and athletic Pistons better than in their 105-95 home loss on Oct. 30. But on Saturday the Pistons were without standout point guard Cade Cunningham, who’s dealing with a left sacroiliac joint sprain.
Detroit was also weary from the circumstances that came with playing its second game in as many nights.
“I mean, our guys were exhausted,” said coach J.B. Bickerstaff, whose Pistons defeated the Indiana Pacers 130-106 in Friday’s NBA Cup game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. “We sat on the runway last night until 2:30, three o’clock in the morning. Got home at four o’clock in the morning in the snowstorm. They drove home, by the time they got to bed it was five, five thirty. I thought they went out and they dug down. They tried to give it what they had. We just didn’t have it tonight, and that’s fair. They tried but today was just a rough day for them.”
On Tuesday, the Sixers will face a struggling Hornets that they escaped with a 107-105 overtime victory at home on Nov. 10.
In seasons past, games against the Pistons and Hornets were considered guaranteed victories for the Sixers.
But one could argue that sweeping them at this stage of the season will be viewed as momentum victories. And that’s saying a lot, considering the Pistons have lost five of their last seven games. Meanwhile, Charlotte dropped to 6-14 and extended its losing streak to five games after Saturday’s 107-104 setback to the Atlanta Hawks. Hornets standout point guard LaMelo Ball, who torched the Sixers for 38 points, is sidelined at least two weeks with a left calf strain.
But the Sixers won’t apologize about picking up a victory. They know they still got a ways to go.
“One, let’s look at it. They got a better record than us,” Kelly Oubre Jr. said of the Pistons. “So it would be stupid if we came in here and disrespected them and acted like this is one of those games that [would be easy]. I think we are collectively happy that we got a win. And we can see that our hard work is starting to pay off no matter who it’s against. And they’re a really good team.
“Obviously, they didn’t have Cade, and a couple of other guys. But at the end of the day, man, a win is a win. We can take this and carry it over to Charlotte.”
Tyrese Maxey pointed out the Sixers are 2-2 over their last four games losing 12 of their first 14 contests to start the season.
“But you see how we are playing harder,” said Maxey, who scored a game-high 28 points on Saturday. “We are playing the right way. Guys are getting open shots. Guys are competing their tails off on defense. You know what I’m saying? The Houston one hurt. We could have won that game for sure.
“We are putting it together, slowly but surely. I think Coach is finding out who goes with who, who plays well with who.”
However, the biggest takeaway from the Sixers’ struggles is their roster isn’t built to sustain victories unless their Big Three of Maxey, Joel Embiid, and Paul George all play. And unfortunately for coach Nick Nurse, he’s only had the trio on the court together for 6 minutes, 9 seconds this season.
Embiid missed Saturday’s game with left knee injury management and personal reasons. The 2023 league MVP has only played in four of this season’s 18 games.
George returned to play against the Pistons after missing the last three games with a left knee bone bruise, caused by hyperextending it on Nov. 20 against the Memphis Grizzlies. This was just his ninth game of the season, because of separate bone bruises and hyperextensions of his knee.
Saturday marked Maxey’s fifth game back after he missed six with a strained right hamstring. With Embiid and George missing a lot of games, there’s been a lot of pressure on the All-Star point guard to carry the load.
But ...
“We’re trending in the right direction,” George said. “I think we’re making strides on a team that’s coming together. Everything [Tyrese] said was spot on. I think we’re finding identity. Everybody’s finding and figuring out their roles. And now we’re comfortable being comfortable. We know what the expectation is and we know what to expect.
“And I think now when we get on the floor, like again, it’s an expectation that we can hang our hats on something if someone is not doing their job, address them and call them out for it. But it’s coming from a positive place.”
KJ Martin finished with 19 points to go with a career-high three blocks in a reserve role on Saturday. Ricky Council IV added 17 points in his second consecutive solid performance off the bench.
But Jared McCain and Guerschon Yabusele have been the most reliable Sixers. And that has been equally a good and bad thing. It’s good from the standpoint that both have stepped up and proved their worth while making impacts.
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McCain, the 16th pick in June’s NBA draft, is an early front-runner for rookie of the year. Yabusele shot 60% (12-for-20) on three-pointers in the four games before Saturday. That was tied for second among league players with at least 10 three-point attempts during the stretch.
But Yabusele and McCain weren’t expected to receive this much playing time heading into the preseason. Their significant contributions are because they’re outplaying players who were expected to be key rotation pieces, only to fumble their opportunities.
And outside of the Big Three, this roster doesn’t have many starter-level players. That’s fine when Maxey, Embiid, and George are all playing. When they’re not, the role players’ deficiencies have been exposed.
This all leads to the Sixers being this season’s most disappointing team. And it’s also reasons why this late-November and early-December road swing against the Pistons and Hornets is a defining trip.