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| A bit of a disappointment last year, Evan Turner is slowly making his strides in his sophomore campaign. |
Close your eyes for a moment. Except don’t because I want you to keep reading. Let’s start this over.
I would like to describe to you a team. Not just any team, but a team that was more or less unimpressive throughout most of last season and in all reality has been just a blip on the radar screen since the 2003-‘04 season. A team that managed to squeak into the Eastern Conference Playoffs last year with the seventh seed only to become the first victim of the Miami Heat’s “Big 3.” Though in all fairness they played the Heat close and even managed to win one game. This is a team that has made no big offseason acquisitions. The last two important moves happened two years ago when they drafted the so far unimpressive Evan Turner with the 2nd pick and hired Doug Collins as their coach. This is a team that has no MVP candidates, players scoring over 20 points per game and most likely won’t feature any all-stars. This is a team that is currently leading the Atlantic Division with a 10-win and 4-loss record. This is your 2011-‘12 Philadelphia 76ers.
Before the season started I doubt anyone saw this coming. If the Boston Celtics were going to be dethroned from their perch atop the Atlantic Division it was pretty evident that it would be at the hands of the New York Knicks, the New Jersey Nets[1] or finally old age would catch up to the Celtics. Well for those of you waiting for Boston’s Big 3 to collapse from playing too much basketball, your wish has been granted; only the reward was not handed down to New York Knicks or New Jersey Nets[2], but rather the perennially irrelevant Philadelphia 76ers.
When I call the Philadelphia 76ers perennially irrelevant what I really mean is mediocre. That’s because in the NBA you can be relevant in two ways; winning games and going deep into the playoffs or by losing them and getting top draft picks. Over the past several years the 76ers haven’t had much luck with either category. And in 2010, when they stumbled upon the second pick in the lottery, they drafted Evan Turner, who thus far has not turned out to be a bust or a star. The 76ers have been the type of team that barely makes or misses the playoffs, otherwise known as basketball purgatory[3]. So why all of the sudden do they look poised to claim their division title and land a top seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs?
I turn your attention to Coach Doug Collins. It may have taken all of last year for him to get his system set, but it’s very clear as to what Collins’ philosophy is: defense and teamwork. Currently the 76ers are allowing only 87.4 points per game, good for second in the league and scoring 101 points per game, good for third in the league, all while lacking a player that scores 20-plus points or an all-star. The team features seven players scoring 10 points or more and one more averaging just a shade under. That equals an eight-man rotation, which is often considered to be what is needed to have success in the NBA.
The rotation includes Andre Iguodala (14.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 4.2 apg,) Jrue Holiday (14.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 4.4 apg,) Lou Williams (15.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 3.6 apg,) Spencer Hawes (10.4 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 2.8 apg,) Elton Brand (10.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.6 apg,) Thaddeus Young (12.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 0.9 apg,) Jodie Meeks (8.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 0.9 apg,) and the aforementioned 2nd overall pick Evan Turner (10.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.9 apg.) On paper this team looks eerily reminiscent of the 2001-’08 Detroit Pistons, a team that had leaders but didn’t really have an alpha dog. For those of you familiar with “the secret”[4] this team looks to have it.
Prior to the start of the lockout-shortened season it was unclear if experience or youth would prevail. As of right now it is looking as though the teams with the freshest legs are outlasting the veterans, the most polarizing example being the struggling Boston Celtics and the thriving 76ers. Aside from their exceptional teamwork and defense, the 76ers can add youth to their list of advantages. The average age of the 76er’s roster is 25.5, meaning that a majority of the team is either in or entering their prime. As for the Celtics, the average age on their team is 30.2; almost a full five years older than the 76ers, meaning a majority of their players are exiting their prime.
But though the 76ers have the age advantage now, it may come back to haunt them in the playoffs. Older, more experienced teams usually excel over younger teams in the playoffs due to their knowledge of the game and ability to handle high-pressure situations. If the 76ers can keep their core together for a couple of years and become battle tested in the playoffs, I think they have a legitimate shot at winning a title down the road. Though perhaps in this season youth will not only prevail in the regular season, but also in the playoffs, leaving the 76ers with a window to do some serious damage right now.
[1] You’d have to be stretching for this one and praying for Dwight Howard to get traded to the Nets ASAP.
[2] In fact somehow the Nets have made out worse than anyone in the Atlantic, sitting at an abysmal 3 wins and 11 losses, not acquiring Dwight Howard and most likely driving Deron Williams out of town.
[3] For other examples see Pacers, Indiana or Rockets, Houston.
[4] See Simmons, Bill; Book of Basketball.
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