So we've made it to the All-Star Break, and your Philadelphia 76ers are the top seed in the Eastern Conference at 24-12, a half-game ahead of the Brooklyn Nets (24-13).
They've had strong season thus far, if not quite dominant. Their +3.4 net rating is 8th best in the league, third in the East, and they sit 14th in offense and 5th in defense. Once again, they have excelled at home (16-3) and, though improved over a year ago, are mediocre on the road (8-9). As a team, they have room for improvement.
But on an individual level, the have had some excellent performances. No new players have seen game action since I first took a look at the quarter pole, meaning 17 men have suited up for the Sixers this season. We're gonna take a look at each and every one of them. Things will be a bit different this time around, though.
To simplify this process, I'm only going to spend significant time on players who have contributed in a rotation role, which I'll define as having played either at least 392 Minutes (12 minutes per game x 36 games), or those who have averaged at least 12 minutes per game and have appeared in at least half of the team's games (18)*.
Where did I get 12 minutes from? Well, a common way to compare different players' rate-based production is to look at their statistics on a per-36 minute level. An NBA game features 48 regulation minutes total, so it stands to reason that anyone expected to consistently fill in those last 12 minutes must be considered somewhat reliable, or at the very least, the best of several less than stellar options. There are a few issues with this system I've chosen, though.
First, per-minute stats are a bit of an archaic shorthand since they don't take into account pace-adjusted statistics, which make things like per-75 or per-100 possessions significantly more accurate. However, my thinking here is...guys need to have actually accrued some actual minutes, and 12 minutes per game is a reasonably consistent role. Look at a guy like Dallas Mavericks' backup center and former Sixer fan favorite Boban Marjanovic. His rate-based stats are consistently world-beating...but he's only ever averaged greater than 10 minutes per game in a single season across a six-year career, and DNPs are a regular occurrence for him. He is strictly a garbage time superstar, break-glass-in-case-of-emergency option, or extreme matchup specific choice. That is not how I'm defining a regular rotation player. That being said, I may cite per-possession statistics in some breakdowns. The 12-minute minimum is strictly about volume of time, not production.
My scribbled-on-a-napkin system also completely ignores the fact that even high workload superstars do not play 36 minutes per game anymore in a league obsessed with rest and load management. Only seven players leaguewide are clearing that benchmark this season. In fact, only 29 players--less than one per team--are averaging even 34 minutes per game. If anything, though, that makes my system a bit more forgiving, because it means that 12 minutes as a baseline is actually fairly low. Perhaps I should consider raising the floor to around 15 minutes.
There are probably more things to quibble about in regards to my chosen methodology, but whatevs. I've rambled on long enough. Time to fail the entire roster.
End of the Bench
Let me first quickly address the five players who didn't meet either of my minimum playing time requirements. They still did see actual time in NBA games, after all:
Tony Bradley, C
Grade: C
When I first graded the Sixers 18 games into the season, Bradley had appeared in six games. 18 games later, and he has appeared in...six more games. Pretty consistent. His rate-based production remains eye-popping through 12 games (17.6 points and 18.7 rebounds per-100 possessions, very similar to primary backup center Dwight Howard) which has led to some shiny advanced metrics (20.8 PER, 1.7 BPM), but the Boban Marjanovic effect applies here--his success just requires all too specific circumstances to see true playing time.
Dakota Mathias, SG
Grade: D
Mathias was waived on January 18 after making 8 appearances. I feel kind of bad bout this, but...since he never had the chance to change his first grade, it remains the same. For what it's worth, he did go on to join Team USA for AmeriCup Qualifiers.
Paul Reed, PF
Grade: C-
Like Mathias, Reed's grade will go unchanged from the first go round because he hasn't played in any games since I released the first report cards. Unlike Mathias, though, I genuinely debated upping the rookie second rounder's grade, as he still has a chance to make noise for the Sixers. Reed has been getting extensive run for Delaware Blue Coats of the G-League, and he has been terrific. Across 15 games, he absolutely loaded the box score with 22.3 points, 11.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.8 blocks in just 31.5 minutes. In the end, the lack of tangible NBA impact meant i couldn't fairly bump him up, but it wouldn't be a shock if he was back up in the bigs after the G-League playoffs conclude later this week. In that case, don't be surprised if next time Reed gets higher marks.
Incompletes
Terrance Ferguson (SG) and Vincent Poirier (C)
This section could kind of be viewed as more of a 1B to the above section's 1A instead of an entirely different category, because these guys very clearly did not meet the minutes requirements either. Ferguson has played 34 minutes in nine games, while Poirier has clocked 22 in six. But it's different with these guys. At least everyone above has had a game or two here or there where they have been genuinely relied upon to fill a role. Neither Ferguson or Poirier has had an appearance longer than 7:02. Both have battled various injuries and gone through COVID-19 protocols, and in Ferguson's case he has dealt with various other potentially troubling concerns. Neither entered the season figuring to be a particularly prominent rotation piece, but they have been complete nonfactors. Thus, no grade.
Seth Curry, SG
Grade: B
Key Stats: 12.5 PPG on 46.9/44.8/92.3 shooting
Dropping a guy a full letter grade may seem a touch harsh, but Curry just hasn't been nearly who he was in the beginning. Take a look:
Through 18 team games (11 appearances): 15.6 points on 56.0/53.7/100.0 in 28.8 minutes
Games 19-36 (17 appearances): 10.5 points on 40.5/38.0/87.1 in 30.5 minutes
Despite playing nearly two more minutes per game, his production has fallen off a cliff. COVID-19 seems to have had a substantial impact on his performance, which he, of course, can't be blamed for. And honestly, defenses will still pay great attention to a guy when 38.0% from deep is considered a disappointing stretch (he's literally the second greatest sniper ever at 44.3%), which still has a massively positive impact on the offense. And truthfully, whether or not he contracted the coronavirus, there was no way in hell he was going to keep shooting like that for an entire season.
Still, if he can even find a happy medium between where he was through those first 11 games and where he's been since, maybe slightly leaning closer to the former, then that would be a huge boon for this team once the second half tips off. Hopefully, the time off for the All-Star Break serves him well.
Joel Embiid, C
Grade: A+++
Key Stats: Too many to list, but a few include 30.2 PPG on 52.1/41.6/85.6, 11.6 RPG, 31.1 PER, +16.8 Net Rating
Joel Embiid is, in all likelihood, the frontrunner for the MVP. He is having the best season of his career, and his always massive impact on team performance has never been greater. His defense is as strong as ever, his post game remains unstoppable, and his shooting from mid-range and beyond the arc are both far and away the best they have ever been. Most importantly, apart from missing a handful of games for back problems, the superstar big man has been healthy, appearing in 30 of 36 games (a 68-game pace for a full 82-game season, which would be a career high).
He has simply been the best player on the best team in the East record wise. There's no reason to overthink or analyze this one. His grade can't be high enough.
Danny Green, SF
Grade: B
Key Stats: 36 GS, 8.5 PPG on 37.6% on 5.9 3PA, 1.3 SPG, 0.8 BPG
In this, his 12th NBA season, at age 33, a truncated, rapidly paced season at that, it is impressive that Danny Green is the only Sixer to have started every game this season (Dwight Howard joins him as the only other Sixer to appear in every game). I mentioned in the first quarter grades that Green in no longer a premier 3-and-D wing, and that remains true. But as I also mentioned...he's still a sturdy option. The team's net rating improves by 1.9 with him on the floor.
The veteran could even be on the upswing--after shooting 37.5% from the field and 36.5% from deep through his first 18 games, he has bumped those figures up to 41.5% and 38.8%. And--this is admittedly picking and choosing a bit, but bear with me--if you throw out his first five games when he was adjusting to his new surroundings and his last two games prior to the break when he totaled six points over that 29-game sample he gave Philadelphia 9.6 points on 40.2% from deep on 6.2 attempts. If he can sustain that over the sprint to the finish line, that would be huge.
Tobias Harris, PF
Grade: A
Key Stats: 20.2 PPG on 56.7 eFG% and 60.7 TS%, 7.6 RPG, 3.4 APG; +7.0 Net Rating
You may notice that the minus is now gone from Harris' grade, and that is for good reason. The 28-year-old power forward had a more than credible All-Star case, and his play has only improved as the year has gone on:
First 18 team games (15 appearances): 19.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists
Last 18 (16): 20.6 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists
He is a good stretch at the charity stripe from becoming the first Sixer to post a 50/40/90 slash line (51.3/40.2/88.7), and he has proven to be a genuine playmaker in the clutch this season. The $180M contract may be scrutinized until the end of time, but if I'm just grading players based on their on court impact, Harris has been unimpeachable.
Dwight Howard, C
Grade: C+
Key Stats: 15.9 MPG, 6.1 PPG, 7.3 RPG
I had to ding Howard a bit, even though his performance hasn't necessarily declined as the season has gone on. Doc Rivers cut the 35-year-old's minutes from 17.8 in the first quarter of the season down to 14.0 in the second, but that had more to do with increased player availability and health in recent weeks. His efficiency and productivity have largely remained the same in the more limited role.
No, there is a very simple reason I dropped Howard's grade: the Sixers get obliterated in his minutes. Now, to be fair, the Sixers did not sign Howard expecting him to channel the Orlando Magic version of himself in spurts. Even more to the point, Joel Embiid has such a dramatic effect on his team's performance that it would be unfair to expect the guy who replaces him to have remotely close to the same level of impact. But Howard is largely tasked with matching up with backups, and it isn't unreasonable to think the team wouldn't get mopped to this degree with him on the floor.
Much like Danny Green, it is impressive the durability has demonstrated with so many miles on his body. But the on-court product has not been beneficial to the team.
Isaiah Joe, SG
Grade: C
Key Stats: 23 3P in 20 G, 38.3 3P%
I kind of have a confession--there may have been another reason I came up with the minutes minimum rules that I did...I really wanted to give Isaiah Joe a grade.
I don't know why that mattered so much, and looking back on his rookie performance, it certainly seems even more arbitrary, but whatever. The kid had some legitimate stretches of productive, effective play, and his deep ball is genuinely promising. There was even a period of time where I swore he was on the verge of usurping Forkan Korkmaz in the rotation.
Welp. The 6'4" Arkansas product has been plying his trade in the G-League in recent weeks, and probably for the best, considering since I last handed out grades, Joe has seen action in just ten games and averaged a paltry 5.8 minutes, producing 2.2 points. Left on its own, numbers like that would warrant something much worse than a C. But Joe will likely be back with the big club after the All-Star Break, and if Korkmaz--playing better lately, as you'll soon see--slips up again, watch out. So, in the end, a half-letter grade decrease felt right.
Furkan Korkmaz, SG
Grade: C-
Key Stats: 8.0 PPG, 34.5 3P%
Full disclosure: Furkan Korkmaz is not having a good season by any stretch of the imagination. The only time he shot worse was during a 14-game cameo of a rookie season, he has more turnovers (24) than assists (21), his minutes are down 3.0 compared to last year, and he missed 11 games with an adductor strain.
Let's start with that last point--availability. By the time I published the first edition of these grades, the 4th-year guard had appeared in only 7 games. He was thankfully healthy for all 18 in this most recent quarter. After missing approximately every shot he took through those first seven games (30.6% from the field, 30.3% from downtown), he has at least looked the part of a functional shooter since (41.2% and 36.3%, respectively). He also produced six double-figure scoring efforts in this most recent span. Not exactly prime Lou Williams or Jamal Crawford, or even his own teammate Shake Milton (more on him later) for that matter, but, cool. For all of that, it is more than fair to bump him up a full letter grade.
But the Sixers need so much more from a guy who literally provides nothing if he isn't scoring. He looks the part of self-sufficient shot creator only on rare occasion, his line-drive shot is uninspiring for a guy who broke 40% from three a year ago, he isn't a standout rebounder for his position despite great height because of his slight frame and lack of explosion, his playmaking is utterly nonexistent, and his defense might be the only part of his game worse than his playmaking. Bottom line: kudos for coming back healthy, but that doesn't mean he's good.
Tyrese Maxey, SG
Grade: B-
Key Stats: 16.2 MPG, 8.0 PPG
I debated dipping into the C-range with Maxey. Honestly, after this has been published, I might comment on my own piece and say I was too generous. Look, the long-term appeal with Maxey is still strong. His floater and change-of-pace wiggle are truly valuable tools for any potential scorer--particularly an undersized 2-guard--and the defensive potential tied to his sturdy frame and 6'8" wingspan have flashed more often than not. And when on the hardwood, Maxey plays with an infectious energy and evident confidence. Kentucky guards, amirite?
But, with the roster at full strength for the vast majority of the second quarter of the season, the freshman saw his minutes decline, and even saw his first four DNPs. After putting up 10 points in 20.2 minutes through his first 18 games with nine double-digit scoring outbursts, those figures fell across the board to 5.4 points in 11.1 minutes and just two double-digit showings. His field goal percentage fell from 46.5% to 45.0% in the process, as well.
A big reason why Doc has seemingly cooled on Maxey is his 3-ball, or lack thereof. Even in that undeniably promising opening quarter-season of his career, he shot just 29.3% from downtown. Over his last 18, that nauseating mark dropped to a truly gag worthy 21.4%. Still, there is a lot to work with here. This is a 20-year-old rookie on a team with NBA Finals aspirations. The fact that he had such a significant role at all, even if fleeting, is something to be praised for.
Shake Milton, SG
Grade: B
Key Stats: 13.8 PPG, 3.0 APG, four 20-plus point performances
Shake Milton can ball. That much we know. Dude has a flair to his game, a slitheriness to get to his spots, and he has flashed a threatening 3-ball in the past (40.2% for his career prior to this season). We also know it is lazy and annoying to complain about players for not figuring out 'consistency'. Or is it just me that thinks that? Oh. Well okay then.
But...wouldn't it be great if Milton was more consistent? He has nine games this season of 15+ points off the bench (yes, please), and 11 games with ten points or less (no, thanks). Nine times this season, Milton has shot at least 50.0% from the floor--12 times he's filed to make 40.0% of his looks. His game is a rollercoaster of efficiency and production. I can't be too hard on him, though, because that description fits most Sixth Men.
It's just that the thing with Shake is it really feels like if he could be a bit more consistent, he could be something more than a Sixth Man. I don't want to overthink this, because he is an extremely valuable player as is, especially for a team that eternally years for perimeter shot creation, and he should remain the first option off the pine for this roster whether on an extended heater or blisteringly cold. But just...there's bit of a what-if factor with him. I'm of course only grading his performance to this point, this season. Still, I can't help but wonder what else might be there.
Mike Scott, PF
Grade: D+
Key Stats: 4.3 PPG, 38.0% 3P, 56.3 eFG%
Scott has salvaged his season from being a complete failure. Talk about damning with faint praise. Injuries have played a part in his ineffectiveness, but that's not an excuse. The 32-year-old has always been undersized as a 4 (6'7", 237 lbs), but he looks especially overmatched this year. Credit where it's due--he has performed better lately, hence the higher grade. Since returning from a lengthy absence, Scott has shot 63.2/71.4/0.0 in nine games. But that stretch has coincided with his scoring average actually going down (4.9 to 4.3).
There are rumblings the Sixers might be in driver's seat of the PJ Tucker sweepstakes, something I myself have advocated for. If they get him, it's safe to declare Scott's Sixers career effectively over.
*Mike Scott is the exception to my rule because had he been healthy all season, he figured to have a genuine rotation role. And in 17 appearances, he has averaged 17.4 minutes. Close enough for me.
Ben Simmons, PG
Grade: B+
Key Stats: +10.6 Net Rating, 16.1 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 7.6 APG
Ben Simmons was a different player offensively in the second quarter of the season:
First 18 team games (16 appearances): 12.8 points on 52.5/16.7/64.7
Last 18 (15): 19.6 points on 61.8/100.0/69.5
Funny what a 6'11", 240-pound frame with world-class athleticism can do when you tap into a more aggressive mindset. (Sidebar: the improvement at the foul line is dramatic and seems for real, which is a great sign.)
The rest of his game is, as ever, dynamic and well-rounded. One look at his traditional rate-based stats and volume stats would show you a player who has grown very little over the course of his four-year career, and too an extent, that's true. He has not diversified his game in readily apparent ways. But that's also not awful when he does basically everything (sans shoot) at an elite or near-elite level.
Defensively, he has been absolutely revelatory. Simmons clearly takes pride in his ability at the less glamorous end, and for good reason. Few can legitimately guard every position even in theory, let alone with actual impact. Simmons is in that club. Last year's All-Defensive nomination was the first of what will be many.
Most crucially, he seems comfortable and content in his role. Early on in the year, he seemed to be struggling with his fit in the offense, either playing far too passively or appearing out of control and forcing the issue. Now, he seems to be free and at ease, knowing when to tap in to his immense physical gifts to rattle the rim or whip a dazzling pass. He may never be a great shooter, but if these last few weeks are who he is going forward? That's a hell of a player.
Matisse Thybulle, SG
Grade: C-
Key Stats: 3.1 PPG, 1.4 SPG, 0.9 BPG
Matisse Thybulle has yet to reach even 100 career games or 1900 minutes, yet I am tremendously confident that he will approach mediocrity on the offensive end at his absolute peak. He is that bad, folks. In 33 games this year, he has yet to score in double figures. He has been held scoreless 11 times--11! That's ONE-THIRD of his appearances! Moreover, the 35.7% on limited volume he teased last season seems positively like fool's gold now in the wake of his horrific 36.8/26.2/57.1 triple slash line. He also doesn't balance his nonexistent scoring capabilities with any appreciable playmaking skills (career 2.1 assists per-36 minutes) or rebounding (career 3.0 per-36).
But the defense. My lord, the defense. Thybulle helps the Sixers D improve by 1.5 points in his court time, but even that doesn't tell the whole story. He seems to revel in any situation--locked up in isolation, floating around to break up a pass, materializing out of thin air to block a shot from behind--you name it, he is on it. Per-36 minutes, he is averaging 2.7 steals and 1.5 blocks for his career--the latter coming as a 6'5" guard, mind you. He won't get any All-Defensive team love playing just 18 minutes per game, but trust that he is certainly at that level.
Just too bad about the whole, you know, offensive nonfactor thing.