The Philadelphia 76ers are leaving very good feelings so far this season and especially since the departure of James Harden to the Clippers. With the arrival of Nick Nurse they have found the fluidity they were missing with "Doc" Rivers. Currently the Sixers are:

  • 4th best team in the league.
  • 4th in offensive rating.
  • 4th in defensive rating.
  • 2nd in net rating.

These numbers are not much different than what they had last year at this point in the season. However, there is a different air in Philadelphia, and there are more hopes that they can achieve something bigger in the playoffs. And they have their reasons.

Joel Embiid, MVP candidate

Joel Embiid is having one of his best seasons since he came to the NBA. His averages this season are: 36.1 PTS, 11.6 REB, 6.1 AST, 1.2 ROB, 1.9 TAP, 53.9% TC. The importance he has in the team is capital, and the numbers indicate it, since his are:

  • 38.3% of the shots scored of his team (1st in the league among players with +20 games and +20 minutes).
  • 35.1% of his team's attempted shots (1st in the league among players with +20 games and +20 minutes).
  • 57.4% of free throws made by Sixers (1st in the league among players with +20 games and +20 minutes).
  • Sixers' 55.7% of free throws attempted (1st in league among players with +20 games and +20 minutes).
  • 39.9% of his team's points (1st in league among players with +20 games and +20 minutes).
Source: Getty Images

In addition, Embiid has the 2nd best "net rating"(difference between offensive and defensive ratio) in the league with 12.5 (among players with +20 games and +20 minutes); the best USG% (usage percentage) with 38.8% ( among players with +20 games and +20 minutes); and the best PIE (estimated player impact) with 23.4 (among players with +20 games and +20 minutes).

If we analyze the scoring areas of the Cameroonian center, we see that 60.4% of his points are from 2, while only 9.6% are from 3; and that 42% of his points are inside the paint, while 30% are from the free throw, the latter two being the areas with the highest percentages.

Great performances this season

The truth is that it is difficult to highlight four or five performances in a player who is averaging 36.1 points per game and almost 12 rebounds. So I've tried to pick based on either the opponent or the amount of points scored:

  • 6/11/23 vs Wizards: 48 PTS, 11 REB, 6 AST.
  • 8/11/2023 vs Celtics: 27 PTS, 10 REB, 4 AST, 4 TAP.
  • 11/27/23 vs Lakers: 30 PTS, 11 REB, 11 AST.
  • 6/12/2023 vs Wizards: 50 PTS, 13 REB, 7 AST.
  • 12/20/2023 vs Timberwolves: 51 PTS, 12 REB.
  • 16/1/2024 vs Nuggets: 41 PTS, 7 REB, 10 AST.
  • 22/1/2024 vs Spurs: 70 PTS, 18 REB, 5 AST.

Regarding the last game on the list, in which he scored 70 points against the Spurs, Joel Embiid became the ninth player in history to achieve that record, and he was also the one who needed the least minutes to do it (he played 37 minutes).

Sixers' last few playoff seasons and this year's possibilities

Philadelphia currently sits in third place in the Eastern Conference behind the Boston Celtics (4 games back), and the Milwaukee Bucks (half a game back). But the Sixers' problem these past few years has not been the regular season, but the playoffs.

In 2021, they lost in the conference semifinals to the Atlanta Hawks in a seventh game, at home, after having a great regular season finishing first in the East. In 2022, ranked fourth in the East, they also lost in the conference semifinals to the Miami Heat, who came in as the best team in the East. And finally, last year, after finishing third in the regular season, they were eliminated by the Boston Celtics, also in the conference semifinals, and again in a seventh game, after leading the series 3-2.

It is also worth remembering that in 2019 they lost in the conference semifinals, to the Toronto Raptors, with a Kawhi Leonard basket in the last second of the seventh game of the series. Those Raptors would eventually be crowned NBA champions.

As I mentioned earlier, things may be different this year, because we are seeing perhaps the best Joel Embiid of his entire career, because they have a new coach, and because they seem to have found the rotation pieces they needed to complement him. A rotation that, at least in terms of minutes, is one of the deepest among the contenders for the ring.


We will see, perhaps, if the Philadelphia 76ers make any more moves before the market closes, which will help them make one last leap that brings them closer to the ring. As for Embiid, we will have to see if he manages to maintain the same form in the playoffs as in the regular season, something he has not been able to do so far.