Over the last two games the Sixers‘ offense has finally started to show signs of the high-powered attack that most expected when they added Jaylen Brown and LeBron James to the roster over the summer, averaging a combined 123.6 points per 100 possessions during the wins over the Hornets and the Bulls after having averaged just 107.2 points scored per 100 possessions in the six games before that.
Even still, on the season the Sixers rank just 19th in total offensive output.
But while the offense has started to pick up steam recently, it’s the Sixers’ defensive play that has been the constant throughout the year, allowing the offense time to find its footing while still getting out to an Eastern Conference best 7-1 start to the season.
In fact, through eight games the Sixers currently have the second best defense in the league, trailing only the Detroit Pistons, their opponent later tonight. And their half-court defense, as measured by CleaningTheGlass.com, has been the NBA’s best so far in the early going.
That’s quite a bit better than what most of us were expecting coming into the season, and the reason for that improvement is multifaceted.
VJ Edgecombe looks to have leveled up defensively in his second year, and now looks fully comfortable taking on the toughest matchup on a nightly basis. The lower offensive workload has Jaylen Brown locked in on that end. Tyrese Maxey looks to have taken another step as a defender and, crucially, has been hurt ball watching less frequently than he was in previous years. And the addition of Dean Wade gives them an incredibly versatile option off the bench.
But the biggest question coming into the season was the mobility of Joel Embiid, and that’s perhaps where the team has received the most encouraging signs in the early going.
Still, as we’re just 10% of the way into the season we’re still in the phase where some of these high-level stats can be influenced by small sample size luck and shooting variance. So let’s dive into some of the supporting stats to see what’s driving the Sixers’ defensive dominance, and try to come to the conclusion over whether that’s sustainable long term.
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