The Sixers were brought back down to earth, falling heavily to the Hawks after a brilliant performance against OKC left them just short of the mark. It wasn’t all as bad as the 104-72 scoreline suggests, but there are definitely some things that stand out.
The Embeast:
If there was one shining moment in yesterday’s loss, it was the confidence of Joel Embiid. In 15 minutes, Embiid posted 14 points after sinking a three just moments after stepping out onto the court. Two boards and a pair of blocks to go with an assist saw the 22-year old make life very difficult for the Hawks, but with a lack of support around him and a stagnating team when off the floor, the Sixers struggled to build on the base Joel built.
RoCo?!:
Robert Covington received the most minutes of any Sixer in yesterday’s loss, playing for 23. Covington took 10 shots in that time..and made a shocking zero. Picking up just one rebound, the small-forward just couldn’t find a rhythm yesterday, despite incessantly trying. It was the constant pursuit of trying to break out of a funk that often led to squandered open looks and sloppy turnovers..something we will touch on later, but RoCo’s 3 certainly didn’t help.
Learning curve:
Dario Saric impressed in most areas during his debut, but there’s still a long way to go before we see the player he is promised to become..and that’s okay. It’s still early days for Saric, but against the Hawks he shot 2-9 after hitting 2-12 against the Thunder. However, like his debut, Saric was more than efficient in rebounding, bringing down four boards.
Saric will only improve as time goes on..and he’s still only played two full NBA games, which is a complete contrast to the style of play he’s used to in Euroleague. It’s just a case of..trusting..the..process?
Turnovers:
The turnover problems from last season are just as prominent as ever. The Sixers gifted Atlanta possession 20 times in the loss and are averaging 16.5 turnovers per game on the season already. Their +5.5 turnover ratio ranks them 29th out of 30 teams and it doesn’t look as if the problem will resolve anytime soon.
Covington’s 4 turnovers led the team, tied with Sergio Rodriguez (who had a much better game than RoCo). If the Sixers don’t find a way to stay patient and avoid the sloppy mistakes, the ceiling on this season will be limited..at least until we see Ben Simmons take to the floor.
The Okafor/Embiid show:
Embiid and Okafor took to the court together for the first time yesterday, playing for around three minutes or so. Even though brown is reluctant to make this a prominent pairing due to minute restrictions, it was great to see two vital parts of “The Process” on the floor at the same time.
Okafor ended the game going 2-7 with 4 rebounds and an assist..also going 4/4 from the line. It’s clear that both players have integral roles to play and with shooting from the perimeter verging on embarrassing against the Hawks, maybe it’s time for Brown to make some adjustments and let the bigs run riot inside, just as they were drafted to do.
Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports
