October 27, 2024
Dan Hamilton/Imagn Images
The Sixers are continually having their shots blocked at the rim through two games in 2024-25.
The Sixers are 0-2, and the 96 minutes of basketball the team has played so far has largely looked ugly. How did we get here
Before the Sixers get back in action this afternoon with a road matinee against the Indiana Pacers, it's time for the second edition of Sunday stats, a weekly series we'll have here at PhillyVoice breaking down a handful of numbers that tell the story of the team.
MORE: Previewing Sixers-Pacers
The number of times Kelly Oubre Jr., Tyrese Maxey and Eric Gordon have been blocked through two games.
It has been an enormous struggle for Sixers attacking the rim so far in 2024-25, with Brook Lopez repeatedly stifling drivers on Wednesday and a host of Toronto Raptors bigs doing the same on Friday. And in their next game, the Sixers will face one of the most accomplished shot-blockers in recent history in Myles Turner.
The three main culprits here on the Sixers' side:
| Player | Blocked shot attempts | Minutes Played |
| Kelly Oubre Jr. | 6 | 70 |
| Tyrese Maxey | 5 | 80 |
| Eric Gordon | 5 | 43 |
What is most jarring about these numbers is Gordon's minutes total. Another stat, while we're at it: Gordon has attempted 10 field goals as a Sixer. That means half of his entire shot diet has been blocked. Gordon's pump fakes to set up drives have been incredibly impressive, but once he gets to the rim he just looks too small and too slow to actually convert in traffic:
Eric Gordon keeps on getting blocked: pic.twitter.com/r6ucU3XvnA
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) October 26, 2024
Gordon has never relied on athleticism to power his success, though he was once much more explosive than he is now. His value to the Sixers was never tied to a perceived ability to posterize a defender. But there is a certain athletic threshold players generally need to meet in order to be viable rotation players, and it is entirely plausible that Gordon has drifted over to the wrong side of that mark.
I am certainly not ready to write Gordon off, particularly as someone who was very optimistic about his ability to help the Sixers win. It will be hard to judge his fit in Philadelphia until he shares the floor with Joel Embiid. Still, the early returns have been ominous not just from a statistical perspective, but also in terms of the aesthetics of it all.
The number of fouls the Sixers have committed per game through two contests.
The Sixers made a major bet on surrounding Embiid with as much athleticism and positional versatility as they could, often bypassing more traditional muscle and size to do so. There are clear upsides to this form of team-building, and the Sixers expect those to shine more often than not during the season. But through two games, more often than not the Sixers have looked overwhelmed by bigger and stronger teams.
For the sake of reinforcing the significance of this number, even in a minuscule sample: in 2023-24, the Indiana Pacers averaged a league-high 21.4 fouls per game.
Andre Drummond and Guerschon Yabusele have each done certain things well as they look to lead the charge in the Sixers' attempt to piece together 48 center minutes in Embiid's absence, but both have been in foul trouble in each of the team's games. For Drummond, that is not the result of being undersized -- Drummond is enormous but often takes risks in hopes of forcing turnovers. He succeeds in this a decent amount, but it does make him liable to committing fouls; perhaps he would be better served focusing on staying out of trouble until Embiid suits up. Yabusele, meanwhile, is experiencing the downside of being (generously) listed at 6-foot-8 and being forced to play the five.
Caleb Martin's total number of turnovers through two games.
Embiid and Paul George being sidelined does not just hurt the Sixers in terms of losing two outstanding scorers. There is also a ripple effect that takes place, where each member of the team must ascend multiple spots within the team's offensive hierarchy.
This includes Martin, whose optimal offensive role is being a background piece who spaces the floor and occasionally attacks closeouts on drives to the basket, but is primarily focused on crashing the glass. Instead, he has been forced to handle a much more significant offensive role that he is not suited for:
Caleb Martin struggles to create his own shot, turning the ball over: pic.twitter.com/qv7yxeyGym
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) October 24, 2024
When it comes to scoring efficiency and limiting turnovers, Martin will be one of the biggest beneficiaries of Embiid and George's eventual insertions into the lineup.
The Sixers' combined free throw percentage through two games.
This is down considerably from the team's 82.6 percent mark from the line last year, which was second-best among all NBA teams. The Sacramento Kings' 74.5 free throw percentage was worse in the NBA in 2023-24.
The Sixers will never live up to their prior team-wide free throw percentages when Embiid is out -- his combination of volume and efficiency from the line is unparalleled. And, again, we are working with extremely small sample sizes right now. The most notable aspect of the team's early struggles at the line is that Drummond is dragging them down: if the temporary starting center's 5-for-10 line on free throws is removed, the Sixers have shot 77.1 percent from the line as a team. But even that figure would have them tied for 10th-worst all NBA teams last season.
When Embiid and George are out, the team's margin for error shrinks dramatically. One way to make up for that is to knock down free throws. The entire team -- not just Drummond -- can be better.
MORE: What is going on with Maxey?
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