The Philadelphia 76ers Do Not Look Like a Very Good Basketball Team Right Now

Yes, the Sixers won, but they most definitely did not look good doing it. It's looking more and more like we're going to get that first round matchup with the Celtics and if we keep playing like we have been, it could be a very ugly series. It's tough to say this, but the biggest problem with the Sixers right now has come from arguably their most important player. Ben Simmons 

I understand that he got injured tonight, which doesn't look to be too big of a deal, but even before the injury he just wasn't looking like himself. He was 2-10 from the field, posted a -3, and has failed to eclipse 5 assists for the third game in a row. I understand that he is technically playing a new role at the 4 but it shouldn't be nearly as drastic of a change as the box score is making it look. He still is primary ball handler for a good portion of the game and has had plenty of opportunities to showcase his playmaking ability. He just does not look right. If this team is going to do anything, he is going to have to play a whole lot better. I really hope we're not forced to shut him down until the playoffs start because he really needs to get out of this funk. Joel Embiid can not be the only one producing. 

Jo again looked phenomenal today. It's really fun to watch when he gets into his mode where he just knows that he cannot be stopped. I mean come on, the Wizards had Mo Wagner and Anzejs Pasecniks guarding Embiid for essentially the entire afternoon. Wagner and Pasecniks are most definitely not going to contain Embiid for an entire game and Jo knew it. The Wizards took a 6 point lead late in the third quarter and it looked like we may be in for another disastrous afternoon. Embiid proceeded to assert his dominance and took over game by scoring 13 of the team’s 15 points. From there the Sixers took the lead and never gave it back.

We also saw decent games from Shake and Tobias, but more importantly we saw Josh Richardson finally produce. He scored 15 points and went 3-6 from three. He had really been struggling from beyond the arc and if we are going to compete, we really need him to hit open shots. Teams are doubling the shit out of Jo right now and there are going to be open shots around the perimeter that need to be made. 

I guess at the end of the day a win is a win but I was really hoping for a blowout to make me feel a little bit better about our chances come playoff time. Let's put it all together on Friday against the Magic.