John Flavin and Nick Garritano
Staff Writers
The Philadelphia 76ers are looking much improved this season with a record of 47-30. The team made many offseason moves to improve the roster, like drafting Markelle Fultz and signing JJ Reddick. The biggest component of the Sixers success this year has been a healthy Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. Embiid missed over 50 games last year, and Simmons missed all 82. Unfortunately, Embiid recently injured his face and is out a couple of weeks.
Having both of them healthy this year has certainly made a difference. They are currently on a 10-game win streak and continue to win games without Embiid. Markelle Fultz has returned to play and he has looked good in limited minutes. Hopefully he can be a bigger part of the rotation by the playoffs. The Sixers defense this year has been exceeding expectations and have the 5th ranked defense in the NBA. Joel Embiid is the anchor of it all and has a good chance to win Defensive Player of the Year.
If the playoffs started today, the Sixers would be matched up against the Indiana Pacers. Their key players are Victor Oladipo, Myles Turner, and Thaddeus Young. Although the Pacers record has been better than the Sixers most of the season, they could win the series with their defense, hustle, and the combo of Ben Simmon and Joel Embiid. The city of Philadelphia would love to see this happen after seeing the team struggle for the past several seasons.
