The Philadelphia 76ers have been a bit up and down on the offensive end to begin the season. There have been stretches of brilliance and other stretches where they can’t get a clean shot and they’re turning the ball over.
However, on the defensive end, they have been one of the tougher teams in the league to score on as they are currently 5th in the NBA in defensive rating. Their defense has gotten even better since Joel Embiid returned from the flu and it appears that their work on that end has surprised some.
Bleacher Report put together the biggest surprise for each team in the league and Philadelphia’s defense has been the biggest surprise for them:
The Sixers are, by and large, pretty much exactly what you’d expect. If there is a surprise in Philly, though, it’s the jump from 12th to fifth in defensive efficiency.
That was surely the franchise aim when they added De’Anthony Melton, P.J. Tucker and Danuel House Jr. this offseason, but it was hardly guaranteed. Sustaining this start, though, will be the real key. The playoffs will provide tests that the regular season cannot and will ultimately determine whether Philly has enough speed and athleticism on the wings to dominate this end of the floor.
The Sixers had planned on wanting to be the best defensive team in the league before the season began, and after a rough start, it appears they have figured that part out. They have the defensive talent such as Embiid, PJ Tucker, De’Anthony Melton, and Matisse Thybulle, and they just had to jell a bit together to make it work.
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