The Philadelphia 76ers are failing to find any cohesion to begin the 2022-23 season. After a discouraging 119-109 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday to begin a four-game road trip, the defensive issues that have plagued them popped up again.
The Raptors were red hot from deep. They were outhustling the Sixers on the 50/50 balls. They were having significant success in transition defense. That is a recipe for losses.
After Wednesday’s loss, Joel Embiid wants to see more effort out of the Sixers on the defensive end. The big fella told Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer:
“It’s all about effort,” Embiid said after Wednesday’s game. “You got to be honest about it. It doesn’t matter what the coaching staff says. It doesn’t matter what the game plan is. If we don’t go out there and execute, we are not going to go anywhere.
“So it’s all about effort, having the mentality of playing hard and having each other’s back and just flying around.”
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It is head-scratching to see Philadelphia off to such a slow start on the defensive end. Talented players such as PJ Tucker, Tobias Harris, and Embiid are in the starting lineup, and defensive-minded players De’Anthony Melton and Danuel House Jr. come off the bench.
However, it is peculiar that Matisse Thybulle has not gotten much playing time either. The two-time All-Defensive team honoree has played five minutes to begin the season. Despite his up-and-down play on the offensive end, it might be time to give him his spot back in the rotation when considering the defensive struggles.
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