The Sixers finally feel they are playing consistent, quality basketball, but sitting at 6-15 in 2024-25, they have a lot of ground to cover to get to where they want to go. And, of course, the question lingering over it all: when will Joel Embiid play? Better yet, what will he actually be capable of when he does?
In what could be a lucky stroke for Embiid, the Sixers will only play three games in a 12-day span, beginning with their road game on Sunday afternoon. This light schedule could benefit Embiid if he is able to get back on the floor, enabling him to ease his way back into action with plenty of built-in rest.
To prepare for each of the Sixers' games in the week ahead, here are a series of noteworthy data points on the opponents they will be facing:
@ Chicago Bulls (Sunday, 1 p.m.)
• Veteran Bulls center and former Sixers draft pick Nikola Vučević is shooting out of his mind in 2024-25 after a significant down season last year. Vučević's minutes are down to 31.8 per game, yet his scoring output is better than ever, as he is averaging 21.3 points per game. That's what a 58.7 field goal percentage, 47.4 three-point percentage and 68.4 true shooting percentage will do for you.
• After only appearing in 25 games last season, Bulls guard Zach LaVine has had a terrific offensive season so far, averaging 21.8 points per game and submitting career-bests across the board in terms of efficiency: LaVine is shooting 50.8 percent from the field and 43.2 percent from beyond the arc (7.4 three-point attempts per game), posting a pristine 63.5 true shooting percentage.
• Powered by Vučević and LaVine, Chicago has posted the NBA's ninth-best offense so far this season, but their team defense ranks just 27th among 30 teams. Their defensive production looks even worse if one is to isolate Vučević's minutes; the 34-year-old's inability to protect the rim sticks out like a sore thumb.
• Chicago is an excellent defensive rebounding team — only three NBA teams have rebounded a greater percentage of their opponents' missed shots this season — but they rarely generate extra possession by crashing the offensive glass. The Bulls rank 29th among NBA teams in offensive rebounding percentage.
• Not only do the Bulls lead the NBA in team pace this season, but according to NBA.com's database, no team has played at a faster pace than these Bulls since the 2019-20 Milwaukee Bucks.
MORE: Sixers knock off Magic behind Paul George, KJ Martin
vs. Indiana Pacers (Friday, 7 p.m.)
• Indiana is led by 24-year-old All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, but a player who once appeared primed to be one of the league's elite offensive engines has not been himself for much of the season. Indiana is 10-14 on the year, and one of the primary factors has been Haliburton's inconsistency.
The Sixers will surely be happy to face the Pacers in Philadelphia, as Haliburton's home-road splits this season have been jarring: when he plays in Indianapolis, Haliburton has averaged 22.7 points per game with a 48.1 field goal percentage and 42.9 three-point percentage; when he plays anywhere else, Haliburton has averaged only 14.4 points per game, shooting just 36.8 percent from the field and 26.6 percent from beyond the arc.
• The Pacers made a surprising run to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, but they did so without the injured Bennedict Mathurin. Now healthy, Mathurin has added quite a scoring punch for the Pacers, averaging 18.0 points per game while shooting 40.9 percent from beyond the arc.
• With its current core, the Pacers will always be a team that wins with offense, not defense. The Pacers are 25th in the NBA in Defensive Rating this season, but also below league average in Offensive Rating, where they rank 17th.
• Indiana is in the same boat as Chicago in terms of offensive rebounding; they rank 28th among all NBA teams in offensive rebounding percentage. Unlike the Bulls, though, they are not a good defensive rebounding team, ranking 16th in defensive rebounding percentage.
• The Pacers' three-point shooting volume as a team is down this season; their 33.1 long-range attempts per game ranks 27th among NBA teams. However, their 37.5 three-point percentage is eighth-best in the league.
MORE: What did the Pacers do this offseason?
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