Despite the quick start, the Sixers have plenty of room for improvement | Off the Dribble

Good morning, 76ers fans. Under new coach Doc Rivers, the Sixers have gotten off to a quick start. At 6-1, their .857 winning percentage is the best in the NBA. The Sixers also have the longest current NBA win streak, four games. In the first Inquirer NBA power rankings, the Sixers are No. 2, behind the Los Angeles Lakers.

They are playing unselfish basketball and have the best defensive rating in the NBA, allowing 99.4 points per 100 possessions. The Sixers will resume action Wednesday at home against the Washington Wizards, looking to keep the momentum and, as strange as it sounds, seeking improvement.

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— Marc Narducci (offthedribble@inquirer.com)

Rivers has said it. Joel Embiid has echoed the thought. So have Tobias Harris and just about every other Sixer.

Despite the strong start, they feel there is plenty of room to improve.

And they aren’t just saying that to sound humble. The statistics bear this out.

Here are some areas in which the Sixers can look to improve:

Turnovers: The Sixers entered Tuesday 26th in the NBA in turnovers, averaging 15.9. After committing 21 in Saturday’s 127-112 win over the Hornets, Rivers mentioned how it would be a point of emphasis to cut that total. In Monday’s win over the Hornets, the Sixers had just 10 turnovers.

Their assist-to-turnover ratio is 1.50, which ranks 19th in the NBA, according to NBA.com stats.

The Sixers are playing at a faster pace, and turnovers are bound to happen. But cutting them has to be the top priority.

Three-point percentage: The Sixers were just below the middle of the pack, shooting 35.7%, putting them at 18th. Entering Tuesday, the league average was 36.3%.

The Sixers have players such as Seth Curry and Harris who are shooting well above their career averages. Curry is shooting 54.3% and Harris, 47.2%. For their careers, Curry is at 44.6% and Harris is at 36.6%. One would figure both would have to come down a little, so others will have to pick up their three-point shooting.

Shake Milton’s bench production: In the preseason, Rivers was touting Milton as a potential sixth-man-of-the-year candidate. Milton started strong with 18 points in the Sixers’ opening 113-107 win over Washington. Yet he has been inconsistent, shooting just 27.3% from three-point range. His effective field-goal percentage is just 46.6%. Effective field-goal percentage is a statistic that takes into consideration the additional difficulty of three-point shots and the extra points awarded for making them.

Last season, Milton shot 43% from three, and his effective field-goal percentage was 58.8%. The way the Sixers bench is structured, Milton will have to be an effective scorer for it to be successful.

Keith Pompey writes: How many threes Ben Simmons takes is an issue that won’t go away.

Biggest factor in the Sixers’ hot start? That would be Joel Embiid.

David Murphy writes that Embiid’s passing and Tyrese Maxey’s shooting are two more reasons to like the Sixers.

Pompey has his best/worst awards from the Sixers’ 118-101 win over the Charlotte Hornets.

There is a Sixers “Piano Girl” who is hitting all the right notes on social media after each Sixers win.

After being named Eastern Conference Player of the Week on Monday, Harris went out that evening and increased his streak of consecutive 20-point games to four. He had 22 points Monday vs. Charlotte.

Here is the current streak for Harris:

Dec. 29: 100-93 win vs. Toronto, 26 points

Thursday: 116-92 win at Orlando, 20 points

Saturday: 127-112 win vs. Charlotte, 24 points

Monday: 118-101 win vs. Charlotte, 22 points

In the four games, Harris is averaging 23 points and 8.5 rebounds and shooting .585 from the field, including .524 from three-point range. His plus-minus average is a plus-23.8.

The streak of 20-point games matches Harris’ second longest with the Sixers. His best was seven games in 2019, shortly after he was traded from the Los Angeles Clippers.

Wednesday: Washington Wizards at Sixers, 7 p.m., Wells Fargo Center, NBC Sports Philadelphia

Thursday: Sixers at Brooklyn Nets, 7:30 p.m., Barclays Center, TNT

Saturday: Denver Nuggets at Sixers, 3 p.m., Wells Fargo Center, NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBA TV

Monday: Sixers at Atlanta Hawks, 7:30 p.m., State Farm Arena, NBC Sports Philadelphia

Tuesday: Miami Heat at Sixers, 7 p.m., Wells Fargo Center, NBC Sports Philadelphia

Question: With success so far in the early season, what do the Sixers need to work on to continue to develop as a team and make improvement to avoid becoming content? — Prell LaDonis on Facebook

Answer: Thanks for the question, Prell. While we outlined some of the key things, such as cutting down turnovers and increased three-point shooting, I would say getting a little more out of Danny Green will be a top priority.

We all know he was with the Lakers and played in the NBA Finals until Oct. 11, but he came out of the gate slowly. Sixers fans would have to be encouraged that his two best games have been the last two, against Charlotte, as he shot a combined 6-for-14 from three-point range. He had a plus-21 rating in Monday’s win. Green has had strong moments on defense — for instance, holding Kyle Lowry to 1-for-6 shooting, according to NBA.com stats.

Green is 33 and won’t play big minutes, but in the Sixers offense, he will get plenty of open looks, and as a career 39.9% three-point shooter, he will have to make more of those shots.