Philadelphia 76ers: Have the Sixers already reached their ceiling?

The Philadelphia 76ers have made a plethora of moves since the inception of “The Process” to help revitalize the team. However, things have not panned out.

Historically speaking, the Philadelphia 76ers have had their ups and downs. For a team that has housed some of the best talents in NBA history, one would think they would have more than three NBA Championships. With players like Julius Erving, Charles Barkley, and Allen Iverson playing for the team throughout the years, why haven’t the Sixers been more successful?

Clearly, the talent has been there. So, what’s wrong? Now, some will blame this on poor management. Others will blame it on poor coaching. Some say both factors come into play. Nevertheless, the Sixers have not won an NBA Championship since 1983. On top of that, they haven’t made it to the NBA Finals since 2001. The championship drought has been a long and hard one for Sixers fans young and old.

Because of this, the Philadelphia 76ers pivoted into a whole new direction by bringing in Sam Hinkie. The goal was simple: acquire the best possible talent and assemble the best possible roster in order to compete for a championship. Simple, right? Well, not quite.

More from Hoops Habit

• 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
• Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
• Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
• Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
• NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers

After years of poor play, the Philadelphia 76ers were able to acquire top draft picks like Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid to help anchor their core. Soon after, the Sixers brought in veteran guard J.J. Redick, bringing premier shooting and a true veteran presence. Further down the line, the Sixers packaged Robert Covington and Dario Saric in a trade for Jimmy Butler. This moved helped bring some veteran leadership to the team.

On top of that, the Sixers brought in Tobias Harris in a package centered around Landry Shamet and draft picks. At this point, the team seemed poised to make a deep run in the 2019 NBA Playoffs.

But then, Kawhi Leonard happened.

Ultimately, the Philadelphia 76ers lost in the second round to the Toronto Raptors. This loss proved detrimental to the team’s core as it stood. In a semi-shocking turn of events, Redick signed with the New Orleans Pelicans. Butler would ultimately sign with the Miami Heat, helping the Sixers acquire Josh Richardson via sign-and-trade. Then, with the money saved from the Butler departure, the Sixers brought in veteran big Al Horford.

The Sixers seemed to be poised to make a big run in the 2020 NBA Playoffs. Now, we don’t know what to expect, as the season has been halted for reasons beyond the NBA’s control. That said, the Sixers currently sit as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. On top of that, the team won five of their last ten games. Simply put, the season has not gone their way.

“Bully Ball” and the Youth

The inception of the current Philadelphia 76ers came with a mantra centered around defense. With a starting lineup standing no shorter than 6-6, the Sixers seemed poised to start their own brand of “Bully Ball”. One of the team’s biggest calling cards was the idea of constant switching off pick and rolls and the ability to suffocate opposing offenses with their height. In a league where “Small Ball” was becoming mainstream, the Sixers were set to go against the trend.

Nonetheless, there’s still hope. While the Sixers have not fully honed their craft, fans have to remember one thing: this is the first year this current roster has played together. The full starting lineup of Simmons, Richardson, Harris, Horford, and Embiid has played a grand total of 244 minutes together. Considering the fact that the team played 65 games this past season, that’s not a big enough sample size to write them off.

This lineup has shown some promise. For instance, this lineup has netted a +8.6 point differential, a +5.7 rebound differential, and a +5.3 assist per 100 possessions so far this season. This lineup has the potential to suffocate teams and truly come together as a whole. On the other hand, this lineup has lacked on the shooting side of things, netting a -.003 three-point differential. Most of their points end up coming inside, as a result.

In addition, the bench has shown signs of being promising, too. In particular, Matisse Thybulle and Shake Milton have the potential to be solid contributors coming off the bench. Both have shown flashes, Thybulle defensively and Milton offensively. Off the bench, these two seem like the wave of the future for Philly.

More from Philadelphia 76ers

• That escalated quickly: How the Harden-Morey situation intensified
• 3 NBA superstars with legacies on the line heading into 2023–24
• Ranking the 4 riskiest boom-or-bust NBA teams in 2023–24
• NBA Rumors: Stalled trade talks may lead to Blazers, 76ers keeping stars
• NBA Trades: This Blazers, Heat, 76ers, and Clippers swap would alter NBA

Finally, Furkan Korkmaz has turned a corner this season, becoming a key piece for the Sixers both off the bench and filling in for injured players. So far this season, 9.7 points per game on 39.7 percent from three. While those numbers aren’t the best, they do indicate that Korkmaz is picking things up at a faster rate, which should bode well for the Sixers.

Now, with respect to the question at hand, the Sixers still have plenty of room to grow. Simmons and Embiid have not hit their primes yet. Both men have shown how prolific they can be. It all depends on health and cohesiveness. Harris and Richardson have shown that they can be solid contributors, as well. Finally, Horford simply cannot be on the decline yet. He may be the piece that could make or break this experiment.

The dichotomy is fairly simple: the Philadelphia 76ers have the pieces to dominate on defense, but still need some tweaking on offense. Even with the small sample size, coupled with the lack of proficient shooting, the flashes are there. Ultimately, it is up to head coach Brett Brown to make sure this team is ready to go every night. It’s going to have to be a group effort in order for this team to reach their apex.