November 21st - New Orleans Pelicans @ Philadelphia 76ers - 10-7
After a very successful homestand, we are on the road again! This time, we're taking on Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler, and the rest of the Philadelphia 76ers.
So, who are the 2018-19 76ers? So far they're 12-7 with an 8-0 record at home. They have the 18th best offensive rating in the league, and the 11th best defensive rating. Why such mediocre ratings for a team with such a good record? Part of it is that they've managed 3 of their wins by 2 points or less, and part of it is that they've played several bad teams too (Phoenix, Chicago, for example). Another part of it is that whilst they've blown out teams by 19, 21, 14, and 12 points, they've also been blown out by 18, 15, 21, and 25 points.
What are the Sixers good at, and what are they bad at?
Well, they aren't very good from 3, ranked 19th in the league in percentage. They're also not that great at the FT line, with the 15th best percentage in the league: although they take the most in the league overall. They aren't a great steals team, ranked 17th, and they are the worst team in the league when it comes to turnovers and fouls.
They are, on the other hand, very good at assists: ranked 2nd in assists per game, and they are just the league's best team in total and defensive rebounds, and they're top ten in offensive boards too. Add in 5th in the league in blocks, and they have some very elite skills.
Obviously, this all comes from their lead players, Simmons and Embiid. Embiid is essentially matching AD's statline in scoring and rebounding, but he's getting less assists, less blocks, less steals, and is shooting worse from all over the field. Simmons' production is essentially Jrue's, if Jrue had his ability to hit anything outside of 9 feet taken away and transformed into rebounding ability.
How do we win? Defend well on Embiid and Simmons, exploiting their tendencies to throw the ball away. Get them in foul trouble: they are not a clean team. Exploit the fact that they can't shoot well from range: it's better to give Embiid a shot from 30 feet than from 10, although that's stating the obvious. Rebounding is huge: it's their biggest skill. Take it away from them, with our three bigs who are all capable of hitting 15 rebounds on any night.
Other than that, it's just playing our game. We ended the Raptor's perfect home record: let's ruin another. #DoItBig.
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Originally Posted by IVAN_NOH
