Philadelphia 76ers' Midseason Report: Pros and Cons

The worst part about it is that Dalembert is second in votes among Eastern Conference centers to Dwight Howard for the All Star game. I am still deciding if this is an insult or an honor for the 'Sixers and Dalembert if he does end up making the All-Star game.

 

Elton Brand

Prior to his injury, Brand was having one of his worst statistical seasons of his career. He was averaging just 15.9 points per game while his career scoring average is 20.1 points per game. His rebounds are about the same as his career average, but his blocks are down and his turnovers are up.

The 'Sixers started off horribly with Brand in the lineup. It was hard for Andre Iguodala to adjust to becoming the secondary option on offense and his scoring suffered. But with Brand sidelined, the 'Sixers have played well and are currently riding a seven game win streak.

When Brand returns, he will need to play better if he wants to convince fans that the Sixers made the right choice in signing him to a big contract in the offseason.

Brand is set to return to action on Saturday, but coach Tony DiLeo has said that he will come off the bench at first to work out the rust that comes with being out for about a month.

 

Three-Point Shooting

Although it has improved over the past few games, the Sixers' three point shooting in the first half of the season was dreadful. They were last in the NBA in three point shooting through the end of the December making just 29 percent of their three-point attempts. Iguodala was one of the main offenders, shooting just 17 percent from behind the arc in the month of December.

Since then, Iguodala and the rest of the team have improved their three point shooting. As a team, their three point shooting percentage is now 33 percent, tied for 25th in the NBA. Iguodala's percentage is up to 48 percent in the month of January.

The 'Sixers will need to continue making their three pointers if they want to keep winning games. Their woes from behind the arc were the main reason for their slow start and are also the motor behind their current win streak.

If the 'Sixers continue to drop shots from long range, this may soon advance into the Pros section, but for now it still remains a weakness for the Sixers.

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