The Philadelphia 76ers and the Orlando Magic are both headed to the NBA Draft Lottery. But it’s their recent approaches can truly highlight the differences between each franchise moving forward.
Heading into Game No. 81 of the regular season, the Philadelphia 76ers were placed 14th in the Eastern Conference standings, and seemingly with little to play for.
But from the outside looking in, the overall mindset and approach of a team in such a scenario can say a lot about the direction of the franchise.
So it was very noteworthy to view the stark difference in approach between the Sixers and fellow Eastern Conference dweller, the Orlando Magic.
Both teams entered their respective games with a 28-52 record. Both were facing teams on the brink of the playoffs and desperate for a win. The 76ers played host to the Indiana Pacers, while the Magic were on the road against the Chicago Bulls.
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And while both the Sixers and the Magic were unable to produce a win, their overall approach to their respective games could not be more diametrically opposed.
The Sixers came up short 120-111 to a Pacers team who had just won three straight games, off the back of a double-overtime loss to the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers. This was done despite the Sixers’ starting lineup featuring two players who had spent time this season in the D-League – Richaun Holmes and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot. In fact, their entire starting lineup for the game was in either its first or second year in the league.
The Magic, on the other hand, put in a complete no-show on their way to a 122-75 trouncing. This was at the hands of a Bulls team coming directly off a loss to the bottom-of-the-league Brooklyn Nets. The Magic already trailed 34-13 at the end of the first quarter and showed no resilience before completely surrendering and being outscored 30-16 in the final frame.
Furthermore, in direct contrast to the Sixers, the Magic’s starting lineup featured no players in either their first or second season.
However, a couple of incidents in the Sixers’ game can help explain the overall difference in mindset between the two teams.
First of all, Sixers swingman Gerald Henderson was called for a technical foul for dragging Pacers forward Paul George to the ground.
But just minutes later, a second incident resulted in a second technical foul, leading to both Henderson and George being ejected from the game.
Granted, these can be viewed as just being isolated incidents in the midst of a 48-minute game. But the fact that a veteran player such as Henderson, now in his eighth season in the league, showed this level of intensity for the penultimate game of the season speaks a great deal about the culture instilled currently with the Sixers. In particular, from head coach Brett Brown.
The Magic, on the other hand, played the Bulls minus only veteran reserve Jeff Green from their regular rotation. Overall, the Magic fielded six former lottery selections for the night.
The Sixers, however, were minus Joel Embiid, Robert Covington, Jahlil Okafor and Sergio Rodriguez from their normal rotation. And that’s not counting last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Ben Simmons, who has been sidelined all season with a foot injury.
Furthermore, the Sixers were playing with just two former lottery selections (Henderson and guard Nik Stauskas).
The aftermath and reaction from the game of the two coaches involved speaks volumes as to where the two franchises are currently placed.
Brown made particular mention to the desire shown by players such as Holmes and Luwawu-Cabarrot:
"“When you taste it like they’ve tasted it, it produces ‘I don’t want to let that go. There’s no sense of entitlement, there’s no sense of arrival. They are going to have to fight like hell to hold their spots, and to continue on playing minutes for the team we have next year. That’s just the lay of the land.”"
Basically he’s saying that the desperation shown by these two, and to a larger extent the rest of the Sixers’ squad, is going to have a great effect for both themselves and the team moving forward. This is just terrific resilience, considering this game represented the Sixers’ seventh consecutive loss.
Compare that with the reaction on the Magic side of things.
Firstly, here is their head coach, Frank Vogel:
"“No words for that. We all know that we weren’t good enough…We’re not good enough on that (defensive) end. I share responsibility. I haven’t gotten the most out of these guys. I haven’t gotten enough out of these guys on the defensive end.’’"
But Magic center Nikola Vucevic was even more blunt:
"“It was very bad tonight. We just didn’t bring it on either end of the floor. We didn’t compete….We made some bad decisions offensively to start the game, which led to them getting some easy points. After that, we just gave in.’’"
Yes, it is just one game at the end of a long season. But the difference in commitment and attitude between these two squads could not be more vast.
Also, the Sixers currently have just $49.4 million in contracts tied up to commence next season. Presently, the Magic already have $85.5 million. Considering the salary cap has recently been set at $101 million for next season, this is an enormous difference.
Furthermore, the Sixers have the aforementioned Embiid, Covington, Okafor and Simmons returning to commence next season. They also have the potential of landing two of the first four selections in this year’s upcoming draft.
(Side note: Due to previous transactions, the Sixers are able to pick-swap with the Sacramento Kings, and will receive the Los Angeles Lakers’ first-round pick if it falls outside the top four in the draft lottery.)
While the Magic have their own draft pick to look forward to this year, there is very little else on the horizon.
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So with a bucket-load of cap space, and some potential future superstars returning to full health, the Sixers’ future is awfully bright. When you combine this talent level with the culture being established, the sky is the limit.