The Sixers have perhaps become synonymous with the notion of uncertainty and confusion. Nobody ever knows what to make of them, whether the team is healthy or not.
Yet in this week's Sixers power ranking roundup, all three national outlets have the Sixers in the exact same spot.
On the heels of a wire-to-wire drubbing of the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night, the Sixers find themselves with a record of 11-9 through 20 games. The common sentiment in the home locker room after the game: this first quarter of the season has been good, but there is much more work to be done to capitalize on the group's collective room for improvement.
Time to dive into the national media's thoughts on the Sixers:
NBA.com: 17 (-2 from last week)
As John Schuhmann points out, Sunday's double-overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks – in which Joel Embiid returned to action, and he and Paul George posted season-highs in minutes – was the first and only time all season that Embiid, George and Tyrese Maxey have played in the same game. But that does not mean the Sixers will automatically find a spark:
"Maxey, George and Embiid played a little more than 19 minutes together on Sunday. The Sixers outscored the Hawks by a point in those minutes, but scored just 50 points on 48 offensive possessions. Both George and Embiid saw action in the first overtime, but neither was available for the second one." [NBA.com]
Perhaps the point made most frequently by key Sixers, dating back to the beginning of last season: the goal is not merely to get players healthy for the sake of improving manpower. It is to create continuity and familiarity across the roster and ensure that players like Embiid and George can easily coexist with each other and the rest of their teammates. It will be a challenge.
ESPN: 17 (no change from last week)
As always, the lack of certainty surrounding Embiid's performance and health hovers over this entire picture. Tim Bontemps writes:
"Joel Embiid took the court Sunday for the first time in three weeks, playing a season-high 30 minutes in Philadelphia's wild double-overtime loss to Atlanta. But Embiid was ruled out of Tuesday's game against the Wizards, continuing his uncertain day-to-day status due to ongoing issues with both knees. It's a safe bet that Embiid's status will continue to vacillate, something the star center has admitted to in the preseason." [ESPN]
Embiid had initially been ruled out for that game against the Hawks in which he made his return from a nine-game absence. On Wednesday morning, the NBA announced that the Sixers were being fined $100,000 for violating the league's injury reporting rules.
MORE: Sixers fined $100K for violating injury reporting rules before Embiid's return
The Athletic: 17 (-3 from last week)
Law Murray highlights one important new face for each team in his rankings for the week, and the choice for the Sixers is fairly obvious: No. 3 overall pick VJ Edgecombe.
"Edgecombe’s October had him looking like a Rookie of the Year front-runner, debuting with 34 points in a comeback win at Boston and then having a 26-point performance against the Magic as part of a 4-0 start for the 76ers. Edgecombe had only one 20-point game in November, though, as he has hit the rookie wall early. The good news is that Edgecombe is back from a calf injury and continues to be Tyrese Maxey’s backcourt mate." [The Athletic]
Count Maxey as one of the many impressed by Edgecombe's ability to find ways to impact winning when he is not scoring all that much.
"He's playing so hard, and what he brings defensively and even just the offensive rebounding and passing, he's just good at all of those little things that don't always show up," Maxey said after Tuesday's win. "And he can score the ball, he can do all those different things as well, too. So it's just good to have him."
MORE: What will the Sixers do at the trade deadline?
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