Are the Philadelphia 76ers in Trouble? – Basketball Insiders

Factoring in their expectations, the Philadelphia 76ers season hasnt exactly gone par for the course.

It hasnt all been bad; At 11-5, just two games back of the Milwaukee Bucks for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, the team is about where most expected them to be. That gap could be even smaller, had Joel Embiid not missed time to suspension and injury.

While they may not have played as efficiently as last season, Embiid and Ben Simmons have done their part to ensure success in Philadelphia, while offseason additions Al Horford and Josh Richardson have proved steady, production-wise, and versatile on the court. Tobias Harris, after some early struggles, has started to come around as well, as hes averaged 21.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and shot 51.6 percent from three in the teams last five games.

Barring serious injury, Philadelphia should continue to play among the best in the East.

Only, among wasnt exactly what they had in mind. The 2019-20 season was supposed to betheir year, the season the 76ers took control of the East in their quest to the NBA mountain top.

With their jumbo-sized roster, the defense was supposed to be airtight. Embiid was to come in better, faster and stronger, Simmons an expanded shooter. Tobias Harris was meant to look more like the star he was with the Los Angeles Clippers, rather than the role player he became upon his trade to Philadelphia, while the acquisitions of Horford and Richardson was managements way of doubling down on a roster they thought would be the best in the conference, if not the NBA.

But even the best-laid plans dont often go as planned, and to keep it frank, Philadelphia has only proven good where they thought they would be great.

Philadelphia just hasnt improved that much from a season ago. The team is on pace to win 53 games, just two better than their record a season ago. They rank just 13th in the NBA in offensive rating, 8th in defensive. Their net rating of 5.1 is good for eighth in the league, but is just fifth in the East.

Again,good but notgreat.

Following a hot 5-0 start, the team has limped to a near .500, 6-5 record since. And some big breaks have kept that record from looking worse; a Furkan Korkmaz buzzer-beater lifted them over an undermanned Portland Trail Blazers team: it took a 17-point comeback to beat the New York Knicks athome: a last-minute choke job by the Cleveland Cavaliers let them squeak out a win.

Of course, some things have gone against them. The Denver Nuggets barely beat them on a flukey buzzer-beater by Nikola Jokic. But, at the same time, the 76ers choked away a 19-point fourth-quarter lead.

So, is it time to panic? Probably not, but the results so far have left a lot to be desired.

The fit has been clunky, but the prevailing thought has been that, ultimately, talent would win out and everything would work out in the end. But, and heres a thought, what if it doesnt?

Embiid nor Simmons has taken much of a step from last season, despite summer gossip of the contrary. And, even worse, the two have continued to show that they arent a great fit together; both need to dominate the ball and require maximum spacing obviously, neither of them help the other much in this respect to be the best version of themselves.

The two are a dynamic duo on defense, but the clash on offense has kept themselves, and the team, from reaching their respective ceilings.

Now, to be fair, there have been plenty of great-but-clunky fits that just made it work. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade come to mind, as they faced similar issues when they joined forces back in 2010. The Miami HEAT overcame those issues by building the right roster around them. Philadelphia, in earnest, has tried their best to do the same, it just hasnt worked out as they hoped.

Lets start with Harris, who, given his offensive profile,should be a great fit for what the 76ers want to do. Only 27, Harris has proven a capable and reliable offensive threat throughout his career and has never had much trouble spacing the floor. He isnt particularly good on defense, but the team has the personnel to cover that up.

And yet, Harris has struggled to carve out his own space. The career 36.2 percent three-point shooter has yet to display that type of dominance in Philadelphia last season, Harris shot just 32.7 percent, a number that has dipped to 29.4 in 2019. Its proven a major issue, given that the 76ers two best players arent exactly fantastic shooters themselves.

Beyond that, Harris just hasnt had much impact; Philadelphia is only 1.1 points better when hes on the floor. Again, on paper, Harris should be a near-perfect fit. But, for reasons that arent entirely clear, hes just hasnt produced the way the team knows he can (or the way they paid him to).

As for Horford, another high-priced acquisition, its been more of the same.

Without getting too much into his Boston Celtics tenure, Horford was brought in to add some versatility to the offense and further fortify what was expected to be an elite defense. So far, hes been fine; his percentages have taken a hit, but Horfords scoring, rebound and assist numbers remained largely the same compared to his time in Boston.

The issue with Horford, really, has been that hes presented another awkward fit on the court, as he and Embiid have experienced their fair share of growing pains.

The two of them share a plus-1.9 net rating when they share the court together, which is positive but nowhere near as dominant as they nor the team envisioned. And, at 33-years-old, the issues with Horford may only get worse as his body breaks down and his mobility starts to fade.

Hes given the team good minutes, and has looked even better at the center spot when Embiid is on the bench, but you dont give as much money as the team gave Horford to play on a situational basis. Theres plenty of time left in the season for the two to mesh together but, if they cant manage to find common ground, the team may begin to regret their pact with the forward.

The poor play and awkward fit from Harris and Horford has stood in stark contrast to Josh Richardson, who has played some exceptional basketball this season. And, while many of his counting stats have regressed, that has more to do with his lesser role with the 76ers compared to what he saw with the HEAT.

At 11.7 points per 100 possessions, hes Philadelphias second-best in terms of net rating. Hes done exactly what the team has asked of him and should prove vital to their success for the rest of the season and postseason, but he can only do so much.

Another reason Philadelphia hasnt looked as dominant as many thought they would is completely out of their control. Relative to expectations, their Eastern Conference competition has proved better than expected.

The Toronto Raptors, thanks in part to the continued ascension of Pascal Siakam, have maintained their position near the top of the conference. The Celtics, despite the loss of Horford and Kyrie Irving, among others, have surged with Kemba Walker as their guide.

The HEAT arent exactly the most well-rounded roster in the NBA, but theyve played some extraordinary team basketball while Milwaukee, despite their offseason losses, has looked fantastic behind reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo as well.

The 76ers opted to change the formula this summer, as they jettisoned Butler, J.J. Redick from the roster. It hasnt backfired, per se, but the loss of those players has been clearly felt, while the team hasnt seen the boost they and many others thought they would from their big-name, fairly expensive acquisitions.

Now is no time to panic; the season is young and theres still plenty of time to turn things around. But, if they continue along this path and the team cant or doesnt improve, the 76ers may have some hard truths to face.

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Are the Philadelphia 76ers in Trouble? - Basketball Insiders