October treated the Philadelphia 76ers well, but November brings a different kind of checklist.
After going 5-1 in six games last month, the Sixers have every reason to feel good about the way they opened the season. Still, the calendar has turned, and if Philadelphia wants to keep rolling, there are a couple of areas that need attention right away.
The biggest one is pretty simple: the 76ers have to shoot better from deep. Through the current campaign, Philadelphia has hit just 34 percent of its 3-pointers, which ranks 19th in the league.
That number is workable, but it falls short of what this roster should be capable of producing. The Sixers have several players who can make shots from long range, yet the consistency just hasn’t been there.
Only three Sixers are shooting better than 36 percent from 3-point range, and two of them come off the bench. Anfernee Simons and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are both at 43 percent, while Jaylen Brown is at 37.
On the other side of the ledger, VJ Edgecombe is at 32 percent, Dean Wade at 30, LeBron James at 26 and Joel Embiid at 14. Those are not numbers this group expects to live with for long, especially with the track record those players bring.
The free-throw line has been another area where Philadelphia needs to clean things up. The Sixers are shooting 75 percent there, which places them 22nd in the NBA.
That’s a number they can and should improve. With the amount of foul pressure this team can create, there’s no reason to leave points sitting at the stripe.
Caldwell-Pope is perfect at 100 percent, Embiid is at 85 and Maxey is at 83, but the rest of the roster has to do more.
There’s also a developmental question worth watching in the backcourt. Rookie guard LaBaron Philon Jr. barely got a chance to get going in October, appearing in four games and logging just 32 total minutes. That’s understandable on a deep roster where Maxey, Edgecombe and Simons have all been playing well, but it also makes sense for Nick Nurse to give Philon a little more runway early on.
So far, the sample size on Philon is tiny, but he has knocked down a couple of 3-pointers and collected a few rebounds in his limited minutes. If he can show he’s ready for a larger role, that would help ease the load on Maxey and Edgecombe over the long haul. And at this stage of the season, that kind of information matters.
It’s still early, which is exactly why November is the right time for the Sixers to figure out what they have.
In Other News...
Nick Nurse Addressed Joel Embiids Late Exit Against The Bulls
Joel Embiids night against the Bulls ended early, but the bigger takeaway for the 76ers was the same one that has hovered over him since the foot issue surfaced: keeping him on the floor long enough to help, without pushing too far. Philadelphia handled Chicago 126-107, and Embiid logged 25 minutes before the team shut him down for the rest of the game as part of a minutes restriction. Tyrese Maxey picked up plenty of the offensive slack, finishing with 26 points and 11 assists in a win that looked comfortable long before the final buzzer.
After the game, Nick Nurse said Embiid was okay and made clear the late exit was a team decision tied to managing the injury. For the Sixers, that kind of night has become part of the larger balancing act, where the result matters but so does the long view with Embiid. The encouraging part is that Philadelphia still had enough firepower to control the game even with its centerpiece on a shortened leash, but the real question remains how the team handles that workload going forward. [Read more 🡒]
76ers Could Have A Veteran Answer To Their Backup Center Problem
The 76ers have been searching for ways to shore up their backup center spot, and Brook Lopez has emerged as a name worth watching. The veteran big man is reportedly a potential buyout candidate from the Clippers, a development that could put him on the market if Los Angeles decides to move on amid its struggles and his contract situation.
For Philadelphia, the appeal is obvious. Lopez brings experience and floor spacing, two traits that can help stabilize a second unit that has been viewed as a weakness, and the 76ers could explore adding him if he becomes available. Nothing is settled yet, but his fit is the kind of practical roster solution teams often circle once the buyout market opens. [Read more 🡒]
LeBrons Viral Moment At Sixers Game Is Already Sparking Debate
LeBron James turned a routine courtside moment into one of the nights biggest talking points during the 76ers home game against the Bulls, when he accidentally bumped a fan behind the basket and spilled the drink in the process. He then took a sip from the fans cup, and the whole sequence quickly spread well beyond the arena, with the drink reportedly being wine.
The reaction was immediate and split right down the middle, with some fans and commentators criticizing the move and others brushing it off as harmless. For the Sixers, it was the kind of viral detour that can follow a big-game atmosphere, even when the basketball itself is supposed to be the main event. [Read more 🡒]