Ben Simmons: 15.5pts, 7.7reb, 8.4ast
Grade: A-
A week ago, I may have opted in giving Ben Simmons a B or B-. However, after truly stepping up as a leader and legitimately establishing himself as a star in Embiid’s absence, he’s deserving of a higher grade.
While the general vibe amongst the media and NBA fans alike is that Simmons is “struggling” this year, the numbers tell an entirely different story. Simmons is shooting a career-high 56.8% from the field while also averaging a career-high in assists per game. He ranks top-20 in both player efficiency (nba.com) and win shares.
Defensively, Simmons has taken his game to a completely different level. Not only is he currently leading the league in steals (2.1 per game), but he’s also earned himself a reputation as one of the best on-ball defenders in all of basketball. Guys like Luca Doncic, Jimmy Butler, and Jayson Tatum have all notably struggled against Simmons despite dominating the rest of the NBA.
Simmons’ 2.7 defensive win shares rating is tied for fourth-best in the NBA.
Simmons has scored 20+ in each of his last four games and is averaging 17.5 since Embiid went down to injury. With JoJo expected to miss another couple of weeks, expect Simmons to continue to shoulder the load offensively.
Josh Richardson: 15.4pts, 3.4reb, 3.5ast
Grade: B+
Josh Richardson was acquired prior to the season starting in the infamous Jimmy Butler sign-and-trade deal. “JRich” had a lot to process with switching teams this summer. Not only did he have to learn an entirely new system, but he would have to adjust to being a third/fourth option on a team looking to contend.
Halfway through the season and it’s fair to say he’s adjusted perfectly. Not only has he kept his scoring up despite taking fewer shots this year, but he’s developed his game in other ways as well. Richardson has become a legit defensive option for Brett Brown, showing the ability to guard some of the top guards in the East (Kemba Walker for example).
Richardson has also begun to show a certain “clutch gene” that Philly desperately needed with the departure of Butler. JRich has regularly had his number called in the fourth quarter this year, and continues to succeed in that role. Most recently scoring 17 points in the fourth against Indiana.
The one area Richardson needs to improve on in the second half would be his three-point game, seeing as he’s only shooting 33.1% from beyond the arc.
Furkan Korkmaz: 8.7PTS, 2.2REB, 0.8AST
GRADE: B-
One of the more entertaining stories of the 2019/2020 season, Furkan Korkmaz has done nothing but silence his critics this season (myself included).
Korkmaz was all set to return to his home country of Turkey this offseason before getting a last-second call to come back to the 76ers. Most people expected him to ride the bench like he’d done the last two seasons.
Half a season later and it’s clear Furkan has developed into a legit NBA player. Not only is he the team’s leading scorer off the bench, but he’s also the team’s best three-point shooter at 39.2% (min. of 100 attempts).
His truly horrific defense keeps his grade on the lower end of the “B range”, but at just 22 years old there’s reason to believe it can improve in the future.
Trey Burke: 6.6PTS, 1.5REB, 2.3AST
Grade: C+
Fans were excited at the idea of the Sixers snagging journeyman PG Trey Burke this offseason. He displayed a knack for scoring in the past and added a little bit of *juice* to the rotation.
However, it doesn’t seem like Brett Brown agrees. Burke has regularly struggled to get on the court. He has played in just 22 games this year and is only averaging 14.1 minutes in those appearances.
Despite Burke’s lack of usage, he’s actually done a good job of making the best of his opportunities. He’s shooting 44.4% from beyond the arc and his turnovers are at a career-low of 0.5 per game.
Similar to that of Korkmaz, Burke’s defense is an absolute atrocity which may explain part of his minutes restriction. It’ll be up to both Burke and Brett Brown to find a better way to use the backup point guard moving forward.
Raul Neto: 3.9PTS, 0.9REB, 1.4AST
Grade: C-
Neto does a whole lot of nothing when he’s on the court. He dribbles the ball up, passes it to someone else to run the offense, and then wanders to a wing. In fairness, he very accurately plays the “backup PG role” in which TJ McConnell played in years prior.
On the odd occasion, Raul will make a nice move and finish at the rim, or knock down an open three (39.5% from distance). However, the Sixers’ biggest need coming off the bench right now is scoring. Neto doesn’t provide that nearly to the extent in which Burke does, hence the lower grade.
Neto is also equally as bad on the defensive end as Burke. Listed at 6’ 1” (he looks about 5’ 10”) Neto is prone to being regularly abused by other team’s more capable backup guards.
Neto is a perfectly fine depth player. He’s adequate in spot appearances and provides the team with another option against lesser opponents. By the time the playoffs roll around, I expect Neto to be completely phased out of the rotation.
Shake Milton
GRADE: N/A
Shake Milton has played in just 12 games for the Sixers this season, mainly in garbage time. Hard to give him a serious grade with such a small sample size.
I’m personally a huge Shake fan and loved what he did in the G-League last year. In the second half, he deserves at least a chance to battle it out with Neto and Burke for backup PG minutes.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
