Final Grades...

All right...it's that time, folks. This one goes on the permanent record.

It's time for me to grade the boys on their full bodies of work for the season.

These are the ones that will be etched in stone once there careers are over. The first, second, and third marking periods were academic, but this is everything from game 1 to game 72 (though no Sixer appeared in every game this season, but you get the point.

Now, bear in mind we're talking about a team that finished atop the Eastern Conference with a 49-23 record, and had the league's second best defensive rating (107.6) and net rating (+5.6). A team that performs at that level likely featured a lot of strong contributions from up and down the roster, and that will be reflected here. Of course, some guys were clearly in a class of their own on this team, and that will also be made abundantly clear.

Methodology for this one will be largely identical to previous iterations--I'll be looking at the guys who played at least 864 cumulative minutes (12 minutes per game multiplied by 72 games). Exceptions will be made for Mike Scott, would it not be for injuries would have blown past that mark (as it stands, he accumulated 852 minutes across 51 appearances--16.7 per game), and George Hill, who only amassed 303 minutes in his 16 contests since being acquired from the Thunder, but is clearly a staple in the rotation now and will perhaps see an even larger role come playoff time.

Some clarification on some of the metrics you may see here: the net ratings you see listed by most players' key stats is courtesy of PBP Stats. It is the player's net rating relative to the Sixers, not the team's overall net rating when on the court. That being said, I may cite that mark separately in some instances.

One more thing--in my last entry, I split my grades into different sections, including one for players who failed to meet the minutes criteria. While I will still split up starters and bench guys, I will not add anything more about those who failed to qualify for my minutes cutoff, Hill and Scott notwithstanding, mostly because the rotation Doc is going to use in the playoffs is mostly set, and that's all that matters to this team now. So, consider this my quick shoutout to everyone of the 23 players who saw minutes in a game this year in a Sixers uniform but were or will not be a part of things going forward:

Tony Bradley

Ignas Brazdeikis

Gary Clark**

Terrance Ferguson

Isaiah Joe*

Mason Jones

Dakota Mathias

Vincent Poirier

Paul Reed*

Anthony Tolliver**

Rayjon Tucker

*Keep an eye on these two cats, though. They plied much of their trade in the G-League this year as rookies, and both flashed some NBA caliber ability. Gonna be fun to watch them develop.

**Signed late in the year, these guys could maybe, kinda, sorta possibly see spot minutes in a in-case-of-emergency-break-glass type of way, but if either of them plays more than, say, 50 minutes total in the playoffs, either something has gone horribly wrong, or the Sixers have pummeled opponents enough to empty their bench in more than a few contests.

NOW, with the long-winded intro out the way...lezdodiz.

The Bench Mob

George Hill, PG

Grade: B-

Key Stats (with Sixers): 39.1 3P%, -4.1 net rating

Admittedly I am baking in a little bit of projection here. George Hill has barely cracked 300 minutes for the Sixers. Coming off so much missed time due to a thumb injury and subsequent surgery, it's certainly understandable he'd need some time to get comfortable out there, but still, his basketball IQ and general career-long competence and steadiness should result in positive impact. As you can see above, it has not. In 16 games for Philly, Hill is averaged 6.0 points on 44.2/39.1/76.0 with 2.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 18.9 minutes. Not exactly the most thrilling stat line.

But if you factor in his 14 games in OKC prior to injury, then things get a bit nicer. In his 30 games this year total, he's averaged 8.7 points on 48.2/38.8/80.0 with 2.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 22.4 minutes. The Thunder were 10.5 points better with him on the floor. And once more, Hill has been as steady as it gets for a decade plus at this point. His game is not flashy, and he will never blow you away with a monstrous box score, but he is intelligent with the ball in his hands and can manage an offense, he can space the floor (38.4% from three for his career, 40.2% since 2015), and provide solid perimeter defense. He also brings 127 games of postseason experience.

Now, on the other hand, Hill just turned 35, and it's possible that regardless of where he's at in his comfort in returning from injury, he's just hit the decline phase of his career. His box plus-minus over the last four years is an uninspiring -0.1 (though to his credit he was excellent last year with the Bucks at 2.9), and his PER (13.1) is the third lowest of his career. But again, I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt. I think if used properly for 15-20 minutes per game, he will figure things out and give the Sixers some good minutes when it matters most.

Dwight Howard, C

Grade: B-

Key Stats: 8.4 RPG, -11.2 net rating

You know what? Dwight Howard played his role well this year. Yes, the net rating is disastrous, and yes he was remarkably foul prone this year (6.0 per 36-minutes, the single highest mark in the league among qualifying players)....but he actually came on very strong towards the end of the year (remember, at the 3-quarter mark, it was more than two points worse--bringing it up that much in that short of a period of time is pretty impressive). He tied for the team lead with Danny Green in appearances at 69--no small feat for a 35-year-old behemoth. He ranked in the 17th leaguewide in rebounds per game, and improved to 13th in total rebounds. He wasn't asked to fill a complicated role, but he did what was asked of him.

He likely won't see much action in the playoffs in certain matchups, as he is strictly a paint body on both ends and a physical presence. But if the Sixers end up in a situation where they need some muscle, some energy on the glass, then they can do a lot worse than the 17-year veteran. Ask the Lakers, who he played a key role for during their championship run just last year.

Also fun? He took and made more threes than ever before (5-for-20, 25.0%). Nothing at all spectacular about that, I just thought it was cool.

Furkan Korkmaz, SG

Grade: B-

Key Stats: 37.5% 3P%, +2.1 net rating

I cannot honestly say I thought this is where I'd be on Korkmaz at the end of the year if you asked me a quarter, even halfway through the season. But credit where it's due, he improved his play considerably as the year wore on presumably as he put that adductor strain that cost him 11 games early on behind him:

First 40 Games: 8.6 points on 38.9/35.8/74.2 shooting with 2.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.8 steals

Last 15: 10.4 points on 42.9/41.1/68.8 with 2.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.2 steals (!)

Of particular note is his marked improvement defensively. I've noted in earlier entries how i thought it was noise that the teams defensive rating improved with him on the court (indeed, he finished the year shaving 1.8 points off the opposition's bottom line compared to the rest of the team), but I've come to believe there may be something to that. He is not a spectacular athlete by any stretch of the imagination and he will likely never possess above average strength, but he seemed to tighten up on rotations and provide solid help defense, and his active hands generated more than a few surprising swipes.

Most crucially, though, was the recovery of his 3-point stroke. Though not a 40.0% sniper like he was a year ago, he will enter free agency coming off a 2-season stretch in which he played a key bench role for a theoretical contender and canned 39.0% of his 4.9 triples per game in that span. He also remains a 6'7" wing with plausible upside turning just 24 in the offseason. It'll be very interesting to see if the Sixers try to bring him back next year. For now, though, let's just reward the guy for his improvement over the course of the year and hope that maybe this is finally the point when he achieves some sort of consistency.

Tyrese Maxey, SG

Grade: B

Key Stats: 8.0 PPG, -9.2 net rating

I'm back to loving Maxey again. Once again, please discard the atrocious net rating--focus on the fact that this was a 20-year-old rookie coming off the pine for a contender. Then, focus more on the finish to the year: over his final 15 games, in 19.1 minutes, the Kentucky product was giving the Sixers 11.3 points on 49.6/35.3/87.5 along with 2.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists against only 0.9 turnovers. If that's the baseline Philly can expect going forward, expect him to have a significantly larger role moving forward.

After seemingly losing his confidence at points due to inconsistency and fluctuating minutes (prior to that closing stretch, he averaged only 10.5 minutes per game in 31 appearances and scored just 5.1 points), he burst through the rookie wall with a vengeance and made many meaningful contributions in games that mattered. The most exciting development was the three-ball coming around a bit. That 35.3% didn't come on copious volume (2.3 attempts per game), but it was a promising sign nonetheless, and when looked at in conjunction with his excellent performance at the free throw line (87.1% for the year) is more than enough to give hope that he can approach league average shooting from distance sooner rather than later.

A bona fide title threat getting this kind of value and excitement from a rookie, let alone one picked well outside the lottery (21st overall) is a boon. Now, his minutes may again see a hard ceiling in the playoffs as Doc runs the starters out for 36-38+ minutes and may first trust veterans like Hill before a freshman. But that doesn't change what I think was a very successful rookie year that portends great things to come for this kid and the Sixers by extension.

Shake Milton, SG

Grade: B

Key Stats: 13.0 PPG, -2.9 net rating

Shake Milton is tough for me to evaluate. Sometimes he pops on the floor with plays of great skill and true scorer's craft, other games he isn't even noticeable even when you check the box score and find he had 11 points. That type of fleeting impact can be said of most sixth men, but it seems especially accurate in describing Milton.

He's undoubtedly a valuable piece to the roster, a viable off-the-dribble threat for a team that lacks that archetype. And after a very slow start, his three-ball came roaring back to life (42.0% over his final 25 games). But it seems like he has flashes where he teases greater upside, the kind that if you squint, you can see someone who could viably start and maybe be a 16-18 point scorer. Or maybe I'm just especially bullish on the guy.

It is, however, telling that his net rating swing fell over three points since the last iteration of these grades. In that same span with the hot 3-point shooting, his minutes were somewhat reduced (21.0, down from 24.6 prior), as was his scoring impact (11.6 points, down from 13.8 prior). Some of that is integrating George Hill, but some of that is also just a more tentative version of Milton. As it is, he is still a strong bench option for the Sixers. But if he can somehow figure out how to strike a balance between the more aggressive version of himself and the more efficient version, then he could really be special.

Mike Scott, PF

Grade: D

Key Stats: 34.2 3P%, -8.2 net rating

I feel bad about this. I've generally been kind so far I feel like. Probably too kind in some cases. Call Scott my regression to the mean then I suppose. The 32-year-old has simply not been good this season. It isn't all his fault--he battled lower body injuries for a large portion of the season. But I'm grading on-court performance, and his has not been good.

That 34.2% from three came only after a 36.5% stretch over his final 24 games, and unlike Milton's boost in performance, he wasn't creating many of his looks, he was catching and firing. His defense has also fallen off. It just has not been the been a strong run for the former second round pick who was a legitimately strong contributor for the Sixers just a year ago (36.9% from deep, +6.1 net rating).

Scott's contract expires after this year. Don't be surprised if this is his last gasp in a Sixer uniform.

Matisse Thybulle, SG

Grade: B+

Key Stats: 1.6 SPG and 1.1 BPG, +0.5 net rating

I won't lie--I was more excited to write about Thybulle than any other bench performer, no disrespect to them. ESPN's Zach Lowe put Thybulle on his official All-Defense ballot calling the 24-year-old guard 'one of the best perimeter defenders [he's] ever seen'. I can't argue there. See those block and steal numbers? They're coming in 20.0 minutes per game. And remember when looking at the blocks--this is a 6'5" sophomore we're talking about, not a veteran center.

Missing a few games down the stretch of the season robbed him of meeting the necessary minutes cutoff by barely 20 minutes, but it's worth mentioning that his 3.9% steal percentage would have easily led the league (former Sixer great T.J. McConnell took the crown with 3.4%), and his 4.9% block percentage would have tied Naz Reid for 9th. In case you forgot what I said last paragraph: he's 6'5".

There is the minor matter of the court featuring two halves, and as for his offense...look, its not his calling card okay? My biggest dream in life is that Thybulle reaches league average from distance (30.1% this season). But even without that, I'd love to see him upwards of 25 minutes just to see him make opposing wings shrink in terror and hug the ball lest it be ripped from their puny hands.

The Starting Five

Seth Curry, SG

Grade: B+

Key Stats: 12.5 PPG on 46.7/45.0/89.6, 58.2 eFG% and 60.7 TS%, +4.7 net rating

It was always unreasonable to assume Curry could keep up his torrid beginning to the season prior to contracting COVID-19 (17.0 points on 60.3/59.5/100.0 over first 8 games). Similarly, he wasn't going to struggle for the remainder of the entire year as he regained his wind (11.6 points on 41.8/37.2/88.6 in first 25 games back). The reality was going to be somewhere in between, just hopefully leaning more toward the former numbers.

Thankfully, the finish was much more like it. Over his final 13 games, Curry seemed to be virtually all the way back (14.0 points on 54.5/57.1/90.9). And really, even if he hadn't returned to those certifiably nuclear shooting levels, his vitality to this team is not possible to overstate. The second greatest 3-point shooter of all time is a perfect fit to space the floor for Joel Embiid on the low block, Tobias Harris in the mid post, and Ben Simmons to drive. Really, anything else he adds is gravy.

Fortunately, that's not all he does. Despite less than stellar physical tools to be kind, he is a smart and competitive team defender. He's not taking on a team's alpha or beta wing scorer by any stretch of the imagination, but he knows his job and is not a total negative on the less glamorous end, which counts for something. He's also an intelligent ball-mover makes some smart cuts in the half-court. But again, that's gravy. He is on this team for his shooting, and it is caps lock ELITE. As has been the case often this year, this is where I lament his lack of volume--4.9 3-point attempts 28.7 minutes is nowhere near enough. Expect that volume to increase in the postseason, or something is wrong.

Joel Embiid, C

Grade: A+

Key Stats: 28.5 PPG on 51.3/37.7/85.9, 30.3 PER, 7.2 BPM, would-have-been-MVP-if-he-hadn't-gotten-hurt, also-could-have-been-DPOY, all-around awesome guy, +11.6 net rating

I could either spend one sentence or an entire article alone on Embiid's absurd brilliance this season, so i figure I'll split the difference. Suffice it to say the big man is the heart of this team, and they would probably be a fringe-.500 team with an average starting center in his stead. That is how much he means to this team. He was on the verge of running away with the MVP award before getting hurt, and indeed despite missing 21 games he was still named a finalist for the award. This season was Embiid at the peak of his powers on both ends. It's his world, and we're just living in it.

Danny Green, SF

Grade: A-

Key Stats: 9.5 PPG on 41.2/40.5/77.5, 2.6 BLK%, 2.3 STL%,+3.1 net rating

My appreciation for Danny Green is well-documented in this space. You don't want him putting the ball on the floor. Every now and again he gets a bit too physical on D and takes a bad foul. His shot goes awry more often than most 40% 3-point snipers. His is far from a complete game.

And yet you see why he has been a starter on three previous champions and why his services will always be in demand. He was exactly who he has been for a decade plus in his first year in a Sixers uniform. Smart, sturdy perimeter defense and outside shooting from a wing will never not be in demand, and Green will provide both until the end of time. And he got stronger as the year went on--over his final 32 appearances, the 33-year-old veteran posted 10.6 points on 43.4/43.4/90.0.

Similar to Embiid, there isn't much more to say here. With Green, you know what you're going to get each night.

Tobias Harris, PF

Grade: A-

Key Stats: 19.5 PPG on 51.2/39.4/89.2, 55.6 eFG%, 59.7 TS%, +3.6 net rating

Harris is at once wrapping up the best regular season of his career and a concern heading into the playoffs. The 6'8" forward did not have his best stuff down the stretch of the season as he battled a balky knee--in his final 15 games, Harris averaged just 16.2 points and 5.0 rebounds in his 29.7 minutes. He looked visibly more tentative, and his shooting splits suffered a bit as well (48.3% from the field, 36.6% from deep).

But his first 47 games did happen, and what a 47-game span it was--20.6 points on 52.0/40.1/88.9. He also pulled down 7.3 boards per game. If the extended time off (Harris will begin the playoffs having not seen the floor for 9 days) can bring back that early season form, look for Harris to put his postseason demons to rest.

Ben Simmons, PG

Grade: B

Key Stats: 14.3 PPG on 55.7/30.0/61.3, 7.2 RPG, 6.9 APG, +6.2 net rating

Simmons is honestly probably the most divisive player in the entire league. And in Philly, that divide is only more pronounced. I'm gonna be lazy and quote myself from my previous entry in this series:

'...Aside from steals, all of his traditional box score counting stats--points, rebounds, assists, and blocks--are either the lowest or tied for the lowest they have ever been.

He remains a dynamic force on defense, capable of locking down literally any position on the court. His athleticism, vision, IQ, and versatility are all intact, and he remains a terrific basketball player as is regardless of his fit on this team, his reluctance to evolve his game, his very severe and obvious limitations, and any other general complaints fandom may have. That keeps his grade here respectable.'

All of that remains true. But for the Sixers to do something really special this year, something will have to drastically change in his game.