The Half Full, Half Empty View For The Philadelphia 76ers’ Remaining Schedule

If the glass is half full, there are still 29 games of youthful, energetic opportunities left for the rebuilding Philadelphia 76ers to capitalize on before reaping the benefits of another bottom-feeding season in the 2015 NBA Draft.

If the glass is half empty, there are still 29 games the Sixers and their ever-patient fans have to trudge through before another long offseason can begin and hoping the countless losses were worth it.

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Regardless of how you view it, there’s still tons of basketball to play in The City of Brotherly Love this season. As you could expect from a roster filled with relative unknowns, such as Hollis Thompson, Tim Frazier and JaKarr Sampson, wins have been few and far between for the 12-41 Sixers in 2014-15.

With the remaining 29 games in year two of the Hinkie’s tank, the way the Sixers finish could be viewed in the same half full, half-empty light.

Glass Half Full

Of the Sixers’ 29 remaining games, the eye test suggests that Philadelphia’s reputation for competing on every possession in every game, regardless of the score, should give them a chance to rack up a handful of wins before wrapping the season up. Upon return from the All-Star break, the Sixers’ schedule contains 15 matchups with teams that would fail to make the playoffs if they began today.

Twenty-one of their final 29 games come against teams in the lowly Eastern Conference, which goes to show that the competition on a nightly basis makes Philadelphia snagging their share of wins along the way likely. Teams like Indiana, Orlando, New York and the Los Angeles Lakers all make an appearance on the Sixers remaining schedule.

Jan 23, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Nerlens Noel (4) scores and is congratulated by guard Michael Carter-Williams (1) during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The Raptors defeated the 76ers 91-86. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Now, of course, even amid a season where the future is the focus and the priority of winning has been currently delayed, there are always encouraging signs to walk away with after one of the Sixers’ rare wins. It’s fun to watch of group of young guys who compete regardless of the score come out on top from time to time.

It’s fun to watch the young cornerstones of the franchise, Michael Carter-Williams and Nerlens Noel, continue to progress and show signs of development seemingly on a game-by-game basis. It’s fun to watch guys like Robert Covington or K.J. McDaniels, who were both overlooked in the NBA Draft — Covington went undrafted and McDaniels became a second round steal — get their opportunity to simply play with freedom and earn their keep in the NBA.

To look at the Sixers’ remaining schedule with a glass half full view, there’s plenty to look forward to. MCW is slowly becoming a leader and confident floor general for Brett Brown. Noel, among a handful of other rookies are continuing to show some early glimpses of how special of a roster may be under construction in Philadelphia. And the youthful enthusiasm they display when the ball is rolling their way brings a sneak peak of how much fun this team is going to be when the pieces are all in order and the talent is polished.

But, on the other hand, there’s the reality that comes with a losing team still having more than a third of the season in front of them.

Glass Half Empty

There’s no question that rolling the dice and attempting to build a completely deconstructed roster from the ground up has its negative consequences. For example: it will be a tall task, although possible, for Philadelphia to surpass last season’s win total of 19. For any competitor, coach or fan, losing is not enjoyable to sit through.

But for the Sixers, the reality of the glass half empty view on the remainder of the season is that losses will likely to continue to pile up and it won’t always be easy to watch with a team that’s dead last in the NBA at finding points, with a mere 89.8 per game.

And in the bigger picture, although losing on such a consistent basis isn’t the easiest thing to sit through with a young team, it’s the most rewarding option considering where the Sixers currently stand in the race for the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft.

Philly has already spent the last season and a half existing among the very worst in the entire NBA and winning five or six games for the remainder of the season could be the difference between ultimately being rewarded with the coveted top pick in the draft, as opposed to stealing 10 to 12 wins.

The Knicks, Lakers, Timberwolves and Magic are all right in the mix for the top pick with the Sixers. As the team with the most time and energy already invested into a complete rebuild, losing the vast majority of their remaining games brings about a far better reward than what winning could.

Luckily for the Sixers and their fans, we should see a solid dose of both good and bad until Philadelphia can wrap this season up. Even though the losses should continue to come frequently, there will still be plenty of time for Noel to try and get his offensive game under control, for Covington to prove why he deserves to be around long-term, and for McDaniels to muster a few more crowd-igniting dunks.

The finish line that is the second step in the Sixers’ rebuild is now in sight.

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