February 02, 2016
Sure, the Philadelphia 76ers’ record currently sits at 7-41 (which, if you’re counting, adds up to 48 games). Still, it’s not too late to give away some midterm grades. Most high school teachers don’t get around to handing these back by late January anyway, right?
First up, and perhaps the least interesting part of the current roster from a long-term perspective … THE GUARDS!
Did you know the Sixers have been much better with Ish Smith off the floor than on it since Christmas? Here is a look at the numbers per 100 possessions:
| On | Off | |
| OffRtg | 97.0 | 103.8 |
| DefRtg | 104.6 | 100.4 |
| NetRtg | -7.6 | +3.4 |
As much as I love the on-court/off-court splits, sometimes they don’t tell the whole story. Getting through these losing seasons can be tough, and Smith has now proven twice that he has the right temperament and skill set to lead the Sixers during these tough times. When he entered the fold, things got much better.
It’s not like the numbers are all bad, anyway. Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel have been much, much better offensive players since Smith arrived, which isn’t a coincidence. Those are the two most important players on the team, which makes their improvement kind of a big deal. Zach Lowe wrote about Smith today:
When the Sixers separate Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor, spread the floor as much as a rebuilding project bereft of shooting can manage and let Smith run wild, they look like a real NBA team! Smith has unlocked Noel's potential as a lob finisher, and he can create a not-awful shot when a Philly possession sputters.
In case you were wondering, this is the highest grade given out to anyone on the team.
I wrote all of the words on McConnell yesterday, so forgive me for being a little T.J.’d out. Despite going undrafted, he has statistically been the best rookie point guard. Full stop. And since Smith took on all of the heavy-lifting with the starters, McConnell has done very well in the backup role. He can play.
Canaan’s four-point play against the Warriors on Saturday is up there for play of the year. He has shot the ball well recently and is at 37 percent from deep on the season, but I keep coming back to the same question: What else does he do well? An undersized 2 guard, Canaan isn’t really a threat to drive and is only shooting 43 percent in the restricted area. Defensively, his size and speed will always work against him.
On the Sixers, there will often be a rotation spot for Canaan because he can make threes. For other teams, I’m not entirely convinced.
On Tuesday, Brett Brown was talking about a pretty great tweet from the Warriors’ social media manager:
— Julie Phayer (@juliephayer) January 31, 2016
“Look at our team,” Brown said. “That’s people like Kendall Marshall that haven’t played, and he was sort of anointed out starting point guard by all of us at the start.”
Brown thought Marshall would start when he eventually got healthy. Sam Hinkie sure did, as well. So did I.
“Although there’s that competitive side like you’re not playing — Carl Landry, Kendall, Jahlil at the end — we have a great group,” Brown said.
Credit to Marshall for responding to riding the bench like a professional, even when people around him might not have made it easy. Coming off the ACL tear, Marshall has struggled mightily during his first year in Philly. For whatever reason, the 24-year-old guard isn't really approaching the level of success he had in Milwaukee last season. The Sixers have been particularly porous defensively when Marshall plays.
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
