5 Biggest Takeaways from Philadelphia 76ers' 1st Half of the Season

We're finally through the first half of the NBA season, and there are some interesting takeaways from the Philadelphia 76ers.

The City of Brotherly Love and fans of the Sixers have been witnesses to some of the worst basketball in years. Not just in Philadelphia, but in all of the league.

It's a strong statement, but one that contains no exaggeration.

Beginning the year out with 17 straight losses truly set the tone for what was to come. They were one loss away from becoming the second team in NBA history to start the season with an 0-18 record. The losing streak was awful, but it was more than just a concerning open that showed the team's true troubles.

It was the way in which Philly was losing games.

The Sixers lost each of those 17 games by an average of 13.6 points. Combine that with a 53-point loss to the Dallas Mavericks in Michael Carter-Williams' first game of the season, and it was clear we had a really bad team on our hands.

The brutal start wound up leading to one of the wildest and most baffling conclusions. It made no sense, but Philadelphia was somehow fun to watch. The Sixers had the youngest team in the league and were an organization where nearly everybody got a chance to shine. There were a number of players who took advantage of an opportunity to succeed, despite how bad the score looked.

It's now halfway through the season, and nothing has changed. Philly is still in the NBA's basement, yet there continues to be a reason to watch the Sixers in every game they play.

With that said, here's a look at the five biggest takeaways of the year thus far. 

5. Philadelphia Made the Right Decision with Nerlens Noel's Rehab

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Nerlens Noel is as healthy as the Sixers can hope for.

Nerlens Noel went from being a surefire top-three selection in the 2013 draft to a potentially risky pick after tearing his left ACL near the end of his freshman season at the University of Kentucky. Philadelphia decided on trading up to take him with the No. 6 pick and applied one of the most cautious rehabilitation methods in recent memory.

The Sixers' decision to sit Noel for the entire 2013-14 season seemed like it would never end. Noel's knee injury came in February of 2013, and he didn't play in another organized game until the summer of 2014. The wait took time, but Philadelphia is beginning to be rewarded for its patience in waiting more than 16 months to play him again

Only missing four games through the first half of the 2014-15 season is an accomplishment in itself. The fact Noel is averaging 30.1 minutes in the 40 games he has played in is even more proof he's past his prior knee trouble.

His 8.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.6 steals don't need to be highlighted quite yet. The defensive numbers are certainly impressive, but the rest of his production isn't as crucial as the fact he's on the floor at all.

Noel brings a nearly unmatched energy level to every game he plays in. Combine that with steady growth, and the 20-year-old's future is about as bright as anyone could hope for.

The bottom line is Philadelphia made all the right choices when it came to getting Noel back on the floor., everything from sitting all of last season to resting on the second day of back-to-back contests during his first professional games in the NBA summer league. 

It all amounted to what the Sixers have now: A young center with a world of potential, who also happens to be healthy.

Well done Philly, well done.

4. Joel Embiid Might Be Taking the Joke Too Far

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Embiid is great with humor, but he might not be taking his future seriously enough.

Joel Embiid has yet to suit up for a Sixers game, but he has done a great job of staying in the national spotlight.

It began with using Twitter in a fantastic take on recruiting LeBron James over the offseason. He then moved away from the court and turned his sights to going on dates with Kim Kardashian and Rihanna. We knew he would be away from the court with an injury, yet each situation made his return to the game that much more anticipated.

Embiid's joking ways may have him looking lazy, though, as the Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey reported the rookie big man has found a way to get even bigger. Here's what Pompey had to say in regard to how the Sixers feel about Embiid and his current physical state:

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Embiid has a weight issue. Although the Sixers wouldn't disclose his weight, a source said he's close to 300 pounds after being 250 pounds at Kansas last season. 

His work ethic is being questioned by some inside the organization.

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It's important to note Embiid has every right to enjoy himself. He is easily one of the most entertaining athletes on social media, and he's managed to gain a following based off a series of jokes and humor.

The issue here is that reports on a possible weight gain do nothing but lead people to believe his mind isn't where it's supposed to be. Embiid might be injured, but he still needs to remember he is employed as a professional athlete with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Gaining a reputation as lazy is one of Embiid's biggest dangers at this point in his career. Having that tag in general is nothing but trouble, especially for a seven-footer.

We're halfway through his rookie year, and it's best for him to do everything he can to avoid acquiring doubters. If it's important for him to have fun through a series of jokes, then that's exactly what he should do.

It just can't be at the expense of what's most important: Being a successful member of the Sixers.

3. Robert Covington Isn't Just a Short-Term Solution

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Philadelphia found a gem in Robert Covington.

The Sixers have rolled through a ridiculous amount of players over the past couple of years. Ten-day contracts and quick one-year deals have ended up turning Philadelphia into a team that looks more interested in trying people out than using them as long-term solutions.

Robert Covington seemed to be just another player headed down that path when he was signed earlier this season. That is until he managed to solidify himself as a potential key to the Sixers' future.

His 12.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 39.4 three-point percentage are clearly what's keeping him in Philadelphia. How he got there in the first place happens to be a very important story worth mentioning, though.

The Houston Rockets signed him for the 2013-14 season after he went undrafted out of Tennessee State. He only played in seven games and was sent down to the NBA Development League before managing to win the Rookie of Year Award there. Being waived by the Rockets allowed him to be eligible for the D-League draft, where he was then selected with the No. 1 pick prior to this season.

Philadelphia ended up signing him before he ever played a game with the Grand Rapids Drive, and the rest is history.

So what does Covington's story have to do with anything in terms of what he's currently doing? It shows a strong amount of resilience and determination to get to where he wanted to be. His numbers happen to justify the rest.

The Sixers aren't the only team that sees him as a possible long-term fit, either.

Shams Charania of RealGM reported on the rest of the league's interest in Covington. Here's where the Sixers stand on the topic:

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A few NBA teams have placed interest in Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington, but the 24-year-old sharpshooter has been made largely unavailable from trade inquiries as a core part of the franchise’s long-term plans, league sources told RealGM.

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It's only taken Covington 34 games to cement himself as part of the Sixers' future endeavors, and he's done nothing but earn what has come his way.

The 6'9" wing has been one of, if not Philadelphia's most positive surprises at the halfway mark.

There aren't any signs pointing to this changing any time soon. 

2. Michael Carter-Williams Hasn't Done Enough to Secure His Place in Philly

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Carter-Williams is still in danger of being traded.

Michael Carter-Williams' second season could have gone one of two ways.

He had the potential to differentiate himself from the rest of the league's newer point guards and prove he is instrumental to Philadelphia's long-term success. Or he could fail to live up to his Rookie of the Year award while showing little improvement in a number of key areas.

It appears as though he's decided to go with option No. 2.

Here's a comparison between this and last year's numbers:

Year	Minutes Per Game	Points Per Game	Assists Per Game	Rebounds Per Game	Turnovers Per Game	Field-Goal Percentage
2013-14	34.5	16.7	6.3	6.2	3.5	40.5
2014-15	34.2	15.3	7.1	6.0	4.3	38.1

Carter-Williams doesn't look like he's in the classic sophomore slump, but he's still not hitting the previous season's numbers in almost any category.

The two most crucial sections have to do with his shooting and turnovers. Giving away the ball more than 3.5 times per game immediately puts his effectiveness as a point guard into question. Combine it with a shooting percentage under 40 percent, and the Sixers begin to look like they have a serious problem.

Continued rumors about Philadelphia moving Carter-Williams as part of a trade only show there's a good chance the Sixers don't have the second-year 1-guard in their future plans.

It'll clearly be one of the more important things to keep an eye on as the year continues.

1. Despite the Number of Wins, the Sixers Are as Bad as We Thought They'd Be

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Philadelphia has strung some wins together, but they're still a very bad team.

Despite sounding like they're part of the United States Army with all the tanking talk, Philadelphia is only tied for the second-worst record in the NBA. The New York Knicks share the same number of wins with eight, and the Minnesota Timberwolves' 7-36 record is bad enough to hold down the bottom spot.

Even with that said, don't let one or two teams having fewer victories than the Sixers sway your opinion on how truly awful Philly is.

It might sound outlandish, but we're legitimately dealing with one of the worst teams in the last 15 years.

Let's explain.

Sure, there have been teams who have or will finish with a worse record than Philadelphia. There's no disputing that. The argument doesn't come from how many wins the Sixers capture, though. Instead, it's derived from just how badly they are beaten on a consistent basis.

Philly has an average point differential of -12.5 points. In other words, if you add up the points between both teams in each of the Sixers' games, then Philadelphia has lost all of them by an average of 12.5 points.

There's no better way to put such a crazy number into perspective than to say only one team since the 2001-02 season has ended the year with a worse point differential. It was the 2011-12 Charlotte Bobcats who finished at -13.9. The only problem is Charlotte put up those kind of numbers while in the middle of a 66-game lockout-shortened season. The numbers are just a bit skewed.

It wouldn't be surprising to see the Sixers end the year with around 16 wins. This is the NBA we're talking about; any team can beat the other on any given night.

Still, though, Philadelphia is historically bad.

There aren't any signs pointing toward a change in fortune until the 2015 draft, so fans have to take as many positives away from this season as possible, especially when the Sixers perform like they have.