November 17, 2024
Bill Streicher/Imagn Images
Can Joel Embiid figure things out? The Sixers need him to do so soon.
It's time for our weekly Sunday stats, breaking down some of the numbers that represent the ongoing happenings of the Sixers -- and as you could imagine, many in this batch will be unkind to a 2-10 team that continues to reach new lows.
Let's get into the statistics:
MORE: Sixers collapse in Orlando
Joel Embiid's average shot distance (ft.) in two games in 2024-25.
We are dealing with a comically small sample size at the moment, as Embiid has only played in two games. Nothing can be definitively stated or determined as a result of two games. But when placed in contrast with his year-by-year numbers in the NBA, the enormous increase in average shot distance so far in 2024-25 is pretty staggering:
| Season | Joel Embiid games played | Joel Embiid average shot distance (ft.) |
| 2016-17 | 31 | 11.2 |
| 2017-18 | 63 | 11.1 |
| 2018-19 | 64 | 11.0 |
| 2019-20 | 51 | 12.4 |
| 2020-21 | 51 | 11.8 |
| 2021-22 | 68 | 11.9 |
| 2022-23 | 66 | 11.2 |
| 2023-24 | 39 | 12.3 |
| 2024-25 | 2 | 17.8 |
This is not just an indictment of Embiid's physical condition -- he said after his season debut that he found himself "timid" and settled for plenty of difficult jumpers as a result -- and his approach, though both of those things seem to be fairly problematic right now.
As much as anything, this is a referendum on the quality of passing around Embiid, the true biggest on-court weakness of the team's current roster. How many other players on this team are above-average passers for their positions? Paul George is probably the team's best option as far as getting Embiid the ball in his preferred spots, but George's passing has been extremely erratic so far this season, posting career-high turnover numbers as his ball-handling duties have skyrocketed in Tyrese Maxey's absence.
The loss of Nic Batum -- possibly the best post entry passer Embiid has ever played with and a terrific connecter -- has loomed large so far. Can the Sixers figure out how to get Embiid the ball in favorable positions and make his scoring burden a bit easier to handle? How long will it take them?
MORE: Batum explains Sixers departure
Paul George's true shooting percentage in 2024-25.
This mark was 10 percent below league average after Friday's action, signifying a tough start to the year as a shot-maker for the nine-time All-Star who joined the Sixers over the summer. It is hard to become incredibly worried about this number holding form moving forward; George is one of the most accomplished tough shot-makers in the entire NBA and has yet to share the floor with Embiid and Maxey.
But with the Sixers continuing to lose games and they have run out and Maxey currently off the floor, the team just cannot afford for Embiid and George to work their way into peak form. This arrangement may not exactly be fair to those players, but it is their current reality.
Kyle Lowry's total points scored over the team's last six games.
Lowry has made five starts and averaged 26.1 minutes per game during that span. After a ridiculous start to the year as a three-point shooter -- Lowry made 60 percent of his long-range tries in the first six games of the year -- he has come crashing down to earth in six games since. The 38-year-old has fallen into a brutal three-point slump, and it has exhibited the harsh reality that Lowry might no longer be playable if his shots are not going down.
Unfortunately for the Sixers, Lowry is nearly a total non-threat to score off the dribble; his lack of explosion has rendered him incapable of creating separation.
The Sixers' point differential in 16:39 with Jared McCain off the floor during Friday night's road loss to the Orlando Magic.
The Sixers went +13 in 31:21 with McCain on the floor on Friday night, with their offense finally resembling that of a quality NBA team. Even with Embiid far from the best version of himself, the gravity that the former NBA MVP carries in combination with McCain's scoring prowess puts opposing defenses in incredibly difficult positions.
Far and away the biggest bright spot of an otherwise disastrous Sixers season, McCain has exploded over the last five games. During that span -- in which the rookie guard has been afforded plenty of opportunity in the form of 32.2 minutes per game -- has averaged 26.2 points, four assists and 1.6 turnovers per contest, while shooting 47.9 percent from the field and 44.0 percent from beyond the arc on 10 three-point attempts per game. It has all coalesced into a terrific 64.0 true shooting percentage.
The number of free throws McCain has made this season without any misses
This is the most made free throws by any NBA player without a miss in 2024-25. In fact, according to ESPN, the only other qualified player in the league without a missed free throw is Charlotte Hornets guard Tre Mann, who has quite a unique tie to Sixers lore: remember the infamous unprotected 2021 Miami Heat first-round pick which convinced the Sixers to part with the draft rights to Mikal Bridges? They rerouted that pick to the Los Angeles Clippers to trade for Tobias Harris. The Clippers sent it to Oklahoma City as part of a massive package for George. Oklahoma City used the pick to draft Mann, who has since broken out in Charlotte -- and George, of course, is in Philadelphia.
MORE: McCain talks gaining respect amid rookie breakout
The number of field goal attempts Ricky Council IV has missed since his most recent made shot.
Council's last made shot came near the end of the fourth quarter in the Sixers' loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Nov. 6. He has missed 11 consecutive field goal attempts since, spanning about 30 minutes of live action.
Many continue to question why the Sixers do not give Council consistent minutes. The answer is that they do not trust him as a decision-maker, as Sixers head coach Nick Nurse has alluded to on a handful of occasions. It does not mean Council does not still hold genuine long-term potential, but his current-day stock has plummeted since the start of 2024-25 -- especially as Guerschon Yabusele shines and KJ Martin shows hints of the upside the Sixers and others have hoped to see.
Eric Gordon's three-point attempts per 100 possessions in 2024-25.
The value Gordon was supposed to provide the Sixers -- and still can give them, to be clear -- stemmed from his ability to space the floor as a three-point shooter at tremendous volume. Instead, Gordon's three-point attempts on a per-possession basis are at the second-lowest clip since the 17-year-veteran's rookie campaign.
Gordon has not been accurate from three-point territory, either; Gordon's 29.6 three-point percentage would be the lowest of any full season of his career by a considerable margin. That seems far less concerning, even as Gordon's athleticism continues to decline he should not become less precise as a three-point marksman. His ability to get shots off, though, could be impacted by the aging process.
If Gordon struggles with Embiid on the floor, it will be a damning sign for his viability as a rotation piece.
The number of times the Sixers have won a regulation game in the 2024-25 regular season.
As crazy as this sounds, it is true. The Sixers have played a dozen games, and their only two wins have come in games that went to overtime.
All 10 contests which have lasted just the standard 48 minutes have resulted in losses for these Sixers.
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