The 76ers are 0-10 this season, after starting 0-17 last season. Philadelphia is the first team in NBA history to start 0-10 in consecutive seasons.
Record-wise, it’s clear that the 76ers are a train-wreck, but have they regressed or improved from last season?
IMPROVEMENT
OFFENSE
The 76ers have seen their efficiency decline by less than a percent, but the improvement in their ancillary numbers is too good to overlook. Philly’s average shot distance of 11.6 feet is closest in the NBA and 6.5% closer than its average shot last season.
JAHLIL OKAFOR
The Sixers stud rookie is averaging 14.6 points in the paint per game, third in the NBA (Andre Drummond, LeBron James). Okafor provides a go-to scorer on the block. The 76ers leading big man scorer in the paint last season was Nerlens Noel at 7.0 points per game. Six players have played in each of the 76ers 10 games this season and the only one performing at an efficiency above the league average is Okafor.
REGRESSION
NET RATING
This season, the 76ers are being outscored by 13.5 points per 100 possessions, worst in the NBA. It’s far worse than last year, when Philly was outscored by 9.1 points per 100 possessions.
DEFENSE
The team’s defensive efficiency is 4% worse this season. The 76ers are forcing turnovers at a rate 23% lower than last season.
THE TWIN TOWERS
The Nerlens Noel-Jahlil Okafor experiment was supposed to be the new version of The Twin Towers. But the pair has struggled while on the court together. Noel and Okafor have played 171 minutes together. They are the 42nd-most efficient 76ers duo this season (min. 10 minutes). The tandem’s net rating is -21.2 and their plus minus is -65.
Peter Newmann is an analyst and writer who spent 10 years at ESPN, 8 as the NBA senior researcher working 24/7 on the league. He wrote game notes for crews, articles for ESPN.com, analysis for studio shows, and regularly assisted reporters and writers. Follow him on Twitter, and check out his Web site, www.peternewmann.com.