Biggest Early-Season Storylines for the Philadelphia 76ers
The first quarter of the Philadelphia 76ers' season has been marked by a hefty number of losses and some excruciating growing pains.
But in the midst of a 2-18 start, the Sixers have quietly been making strides. With a burgeoning defense that continues to fly under the radar and a few promising youngsters on the rise, Philadelphia's prospects are looking incrementally brighter than they did a few months ago.
So with 20 games in the books, it's time to break down the early-season storylines that have come to define the 2014-15 Sixers.
From Nerlens Noel's slow development to the return of Michael Carter-Williams and K.J. McDaniels' rapid emergence, there's no shortage of talking points regarding one of the NBA's most divisive clubs.
Defense Comes First
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It's difficult to grasp the concept given their record, but the Philadelphia 76ers rank right around the league average when it comes to defensive efficiency.
Despite surrendering 104 points per game (No. 26 overall), the Sixers grade out as the NBA's 17th-ranked defense in terms of points allowed per 100 possessions following Saturday's win over the Detroit Pistons.
With a defensive rating of 107.2, the Sixers rank just behind the Toronto Raptors while sitting higher than the Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat, New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings, among others, per Basketball-Reference.com.
Allowing opponents to shoot just 34.1 percent from three while generating the league's most steals per game (10.2), Brett Brown's club has responded to his plea and established a defensive identity before making strides in other areas.
And thanks to the intimidating shot-blocking prowess of Nerlens Noel and K.J. McDaniels (more on them later), the Sixers rank just above the league average when it comes to opponents' conversions at the rim (11.6) per game, according to NBA.com's player-tracking data.
Futility of Nearly Epic Proportions
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The Philadelphia 76ers nearly made history by tying the NBA record for consecutive losses to start a season, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
Fortunately, a depleted Minnesota Timberwolves team cropped up on the schedule at just the right time, which allowed the Sixers to stop their season-opening string of losses at 17.
Philadelphia's offense has been particularly laughable, generating 93.9 points per 100 possessions, according to Basketball-Reference.com. With an efficiency rating that bad, the Sixers are on pace to be one of only eight teams to post an offensive rating lower than 95.
Only the 1973-74 76ers, 1974-75 New Orleans Jazz, 1998-99 Chicago Bulls, 2002-03 Denver Nuggets and 1976-77 New York Nets have ever recorded lower offensive ratings, according to Basketball-Reference.
And as Bleacher Report's Ric Bucher recently discussed, the Sixers' losing ways may produce some permanent scars. Derek Harper, who was a member of the 1992-93 Dallas Mavericks team that finished 11-71, told Bucher the following:
"I remember it like it was yesterday and I wouldn't want to ever go through it again. With all due respect to the Philadelphia management, you've given in to being bad, and what they're not taking into account is the damage done to the psyche of people bred to compete, particularly young players. It's not a fun atmosphere when the people who clean the arena are laughing at you. When you put that vibe out there that you're losing on purpose, it's detrimental, that's the only way I can say it.
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A 108-101 overtime win against the Detroit Pistons on Saturday will help alleviate some pressure on the youngsters, but the Sixers are still light-years away from breaking out of the league's cellar.
K.J. McDaniels' Arrival
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Highlight-reel slams aside, Philadelphia 76ers rookie swingman K.J. McDaniels has been the team's most pleasant surprise to date.
Although he's started just one game thus far, head coach Brett Brown has committed to doling out more minutes McDaniels' way of late. Specifically, McDaniels is averaging 32.8 minutes in the month of December after logging an average of 25 in November.
Arguably Philadelphia's steadiest two-way player at this stage in the game, McDaniels is averaging 10.1 points, four rebounds and 1.5 blocks while shooting 33.3 percent from three. Among shooting guards, McDaniels ranks No. 1 overall in blocks, percentage points ahead of Danny Green and James Harden.
But basic box score statistics don't do McDaniels' performance justice.
According to NBA.com, opponents are shooting 4.4 percent worse than the league average when guarded by McDaniels.
Despite playing a wing position, McDaniels has also quickly established himself as a shot-blocking terror on the interior. According to NBA.com, opponents are shooting a staggering 15.1 percent worse than the league average on shots inside of six feet when defended by the rookie.
Those weak-side rejections are no joke.
Nerlens Noel's Slow Development
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Nerlens Noel's first month in the NBA has been a mixed bag, one defined by encouraging glimpses of potential future offerings and evidence of raw skills that sorely need development.
But like K.J. McDaniels, Noel has excelled as a defender first and foremost.
According to NBA.com, opponents are shooting 7.4 percent worse than the league average inside of six feet when defended by Noel. In that sense, his length and athleticism have been as good as advertised.
However, Noel's offensive game is still very much a work in progress. Currently averaging 8.2 points on 47.2 percent shooting, Noel's ability to consistently crack double figures in the scoring column has proved to be an arduous undertaking.
While Noel is converting 58.7 percent of his attempts in the restricted area, his mid-range jumper is still in its infancy. According to NBA.com, Noel is knocking down just 31 percent of his mid-range shots and a paltry 18.2 percent of his total shots that have been classified as jumpers.
Sinking a meager 47.5 percent of his free-throw attempts as well, Noel is still trying to hone his skills in order to transform into a reliable offensive weapon.
Michael Carter-Williams' Return Brings Big Numbers
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After missing the season's first seven games while recovering from shoulder surgery, Michael Carter-Williams has seemingly burst onto the scene with averages of 16.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 7.4 assists.
Not convinced there's anything special about those figures? Well consider these tidbits, courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.
As things stand, Carter-Williams and James Harden are the only two players averaging at least 15 points, six rebounds and six assists so far this season. Additionally, Carter-Williams is on track to become just the 10th player to post those nightly averages over the course of a single season at age 23 or younger.
The other nine, according to Basketball-Reference, are Bob Cousy, Walt Frazier, Steve Francis, Grant Hill, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Jason Kidd, Oscar Robertson and Norm Van Lier.
However, as was the case during Carter-Williams' rookie season, we need to take his numbers with a grain of salt.
His ability to stuff the stat sheet is admirable, but Carter-Williams isn't doing so in an efficient manner. A year removed from posting a player-efficiency rating that was just slightly above average (15.5), per Basketball-Reference, Carter-Williams' PER sits at a lowly 13.5 through 13 appearances.
Shooting an atrocious 38 percent from the field and 23.7 percent from three, Carter-Williams has been simply incapable of establishing a rhythm from anywhere outside of the restricted area.
Like Noel, Carter-Williams has been horrific from mid-range, shooting 22 percent between 16-24 feet and 25 percent on above-the-break threes, per NBA.com.
If there is one silver lining, though, it's that Carter-Williams has been mighty efficient on shots classified as "driving layups," converting 70 percent of such looks to date. After making just 37.7 percent of his shots on drives last season, per NBA.com's player tracking data, it's been encouraging to watch Carter-Williams flash some more touch around the rim.
Robert Covington Provides Surprising Stability
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Believe it or not, the Philadelphia 76ers own the league's sixth-highest scoring bench (37.9 points per game) following Saturday night's victory against the Detroit Pistons, per HoopsStats.com.
One of the big reasons why has been the emergence of Robert Covington, who signed with the Sixers as a free agent out of the D-League.
Since arriving in Philadelphia, Covington has functioned as a major spark off the pine, scoring 9.5 points per game while shooting 44.6 percent from the field and 53.1 percent from three.
A floor stretcher who's logged 50 percent of his minutes at the 4, according to Basketball-Reference.com, Covington has done a nice job of boosting the team's limited offensive offerings. Just consider the following: Covington, who has played in nine fewer games than Hollis Thompson, is already within 10 of the team lead (27) when it comes to conversions from beyond the arc.
Having scored 17, 21 and 25 points, respectively, in each of his last three games, Covington is providing some sorely needed stability on the perimeter.
As Liberty Ballers' Sean O'Connor noted following Saturday's win, "Covington should be a Sixer for a while going forward, with a team-friendly contract and clear need (scoring/shooting) that he has filled."
Tony Wroten Looks Like a Keeper...Sometimes
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Are his ambitious hook and whip pass attempts maddening beyond words? Sure.
But Tony Wroten, when healthy, has emerged as one of the few relative constants on a team full of moving parts.
Although he's committing a ghastly 4.2 turnovers per night, Wroten has made it his mission to attack the rim with a head of steam trip after frenetic trip down the floor.
Per NBA.com's stats database, Wroten has attempted 52 percent of his shots within five feet of the rim and and the remaining 48 percent between 20-29 feet. And while that sort of distribution typically lends itself to more efficient numbers, Wroten is shooting just 41.4 percent from the field and 26.6 percent from three.
However, Wroten is one of just 12 players averaging at least 17 points and six assists this season, according to Basketball-Reference.com. That group includes Chris Paul, Stephen Curry, James Harden, LeBron James, John Wall and Kyle Lowry, among others.
The results won't always be pretty, but Wroten is starting to look like a long-term cog capable of coming off the bench and providing a burst of energy when necessary.
All statistics current as of Dec. 7 and courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com unless noted otherwise.
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