Can the Sixers compete for a title when they are healthy? Here’s what the evidence says.
There are a lot of "ifs" right now. And even if head coach Nick Nurse doesn't want to make excuses, a healthy Kelly Oubre Jr. would go a long way.
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First, let’s get all the necessary disclaimers out of the way.
It’s only November, and the NBA regular season doesn’t become relevant until when? Christmas? Mid-January? Trade deadline?
The 76ers’ fiercest Eastern Conference rivals, the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks, have less room to improve. The Sixers lack their rivals’ continuity and still are trying to figure out a suitable rotation.
There are a few “ifs” that could derail the Sixers. If Joel Embiid suffers an injury, they’ll go several notches down in the competitiveness department. If the bench doesn’t produce, that’ll hamper them. And if Kelly Oubre Jr. doesn’t return soon, that could be another issue. His absence has been noticeable in the eight games he has missed.
Those items duly noted, let’s say what needs to be said: It’s hard to gauge just how good the Sixers are and how good they can be.
On Saturday, they defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, 127-123, at Paycom Center. Embiid led the Sixers with 35 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists, and four blocks after missing Wednesday’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He scored the Sixers’ final six points from the foul line in OKC. Tyrese Maxey erased memories of a season-worst performance against the Timberwolves by finishing with 28 points, eight rebounds, and three assists.
But more importantly, the Sixers improved to 11-5 and are tied with the Orlando Magic and Bucks for the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. They also snapped a two-game skid and improved to 5-4 against teams currently with winning records after beating the Thunder (11-5).
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They’ve already faced the Celtics (12-4) and Indiana Pacers (9-6) twice, winning the first game and losing the second in each matchup. The Sixers’ other victories against winning teams came against the Phoenix Suns and Atlanta Hawks. They posted a double-digit victory over the Hawks (8-7). However, the victory over the Suns (10-6) comes with an asterisk, as they were without All-Star guards Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.
But a lot of the Sixers’ struggles have come while Oubre has been sidelined with a fractured rib. The small forward averaged 16.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in eight games with five starts.
His presence, offensively, created space for Embiid and Maxey to flourish in their league-best two-man game. Oubre also generated more scoring opportunities for Tobias Harris. And the Sixers arguably were the league’s deepest team with him in the lineup. That enabled them to bring newcomers Nic Batum and Robert Covington off the bench.
But with Oubre sidelined, Batum started his fifth game as a Sixer on Saturday. And Covington was forced to start the three games Batum missed for personal reasons while Oubre was sidelined.
With Oubre, the Sixers also had one of the league’s best defenses. Without him, they’ve had some struggles. The Sixers ranked 20th in the league in defensive efficiency at 117.4 points allowed per 100 possessions in their last seven games heading into Saturday’s contest.
But head coach Nick Nurse refuses to use Oubre’s absence as an excuse.
“Everybody goes through this,” Nurse told The Inquirer on Saturday. “Everybody’s got guys in and out all the time, and we’ve got to figure out how to plug the things we’re missing.”
Oubre could return this week after getting reevaluated in the coming days. And the Sixers will surely welcome him back whenever he does return.
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Their schedule doesn’t get any easier with a home game against the Los Angeles Lakers (10-7) on Monday before a two-game road trip against New Orleans Pelicans (9-8) on Wednesday and Celtics on Friday.
They’ll find out if they’ll be playing next week and who they will play in the NBA In-Season Tournament when the quarterfinalists are announced Monday night. The Sixers are a long shot to qualify as the Eastern Conference’s wild card. If they don’t make the cut, they’ll be assigned two regular-season games for next week.
The one thing we can count on is the Sixers will get better once everyone gets healthy and they figure things out. Nurse is still trying to figure out a rotation after acquiring Batum, Covington, Marcus Morris Sr., and KJ Martin from the Clippers on Nov. 1.
The Sixers proved their legitimacy by beating the Celtics, 106-103, on Nov. 8. That was the next-to-last game with a full roster. On that right, the Sixers’ added depth, a new coach’s imprint, and a gritty defense were obvious in the victory.
Defensively, the Sixers were solid against the Celtics, especially on the perimeter where Boston made just 15 of 47 threes.
They put the clamps on Boston’s All-NBA wing tandem of Brown and Jayson Tatum. Brown tied a season-low with 11 points on 4-for-13 shooting and also committed four turnovers. Tatum, meanwhile, had a season-low 16 points on 6-for-14 shooting.
The message to the Celtics and the rest of the basketball world was clear: “We’re good, baby!”
When healthy, are they good enough to finally advance out of the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2001? Are they a legitimate NBA championship contender? Or are they still a dominant regular-season team winning 50-55 games but destined to falter in the postseason?
How good the Sixers are is yet to be determined.