The Philadelphia 76ers have been one of the most unpredictable teams in the NBA this season, and their latest performance only added to the confusion. Despite a three-game winning streak, they suffered an embarrassing loss on Monday night that has many questioning whether they're truly an upper-tier Eastern Conference team.
In recent weeks, the Sixers have been surging, with a new lineup that's proven to be highly effective – for now. The starting five of Maxey-Edgecombe-George-Barlow-Embiid has outscored opponents by 8.4 points per 100 possessions in its limited minutes. However, once Barlow crossed the 75-minute mark on Monday night, his season-long Net Rating plummeted from +8.4 to just +3.7.
With Kelly Oubre set to return soon, and Trendon Watford likely to be a factor as well, it's unclear whether coach Doc Rivers will stick with this lineup or make some adjustments. Barlow may find himself on the bench as his playing time wanes, but one thing is certain: the Sixers' front office won't be able to afford to keep him out of the rotation for too long.
ESPN voters have given the Sixers a massive bump in their latest power ranking, and it's clear that they're being considered among the top teams in the Eastern Conference. But with Philadelphia now inside the top 6, will they look to bolster their roster through trades or stick with the status quo? One potential solution is scouring the trade market for cost-effective contributors on minimum deals.
The Athletic has issued a New Year's resolution for each NBA team, and for the Sixers, it's to keep turnovers down. After Monday night's overtime loss to Denver, that goal seems more pressing than ever. The trio of Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and Paul George will need to find a way to limit their mistakes if they want to stay ahead of the pack.
As the Sixers move forward, it's clear that they're at a crossroads. Can they continue to climb the hierarchy as an upper-tier Eastern Conference team, or will they fall back? Only time will tell, but one thing is certain – this team has all the ingredients to make a deep playoff run.
In recent weeks, the Sixers have been surging, with a new lineup that's proven to be highly effective – for now. The starting five of Maxey-Edgecombe-George-Barlow-Embiid has outscored opponents by 8.4 points per 100 possessions in its limited minutes. However, once Barlow crossed the 75-minute mark on Monday night, his season-long Net Rating plummeted from +8.4 to just +3.7.
With Kelly Oubre set to return soon, and Trendon Watford likely to be a factor as well, it's unclear whether coach Doc Rivers will stick with this lineup or make some adjustments. Barlow may find himself on the bench as his playing time wanes, but one thing is certain: the Sixers' front office won't be able to afford to keep him out of the rotation for too long.
ESPN voters have given the Sixers a massive bump in their latest power ranking, and it's clear that they're being considered among the top teams in the Eastern Conference. But with Philadelphia now inside the top 6, will they look to bolster their roster through trades or stick with the status quo? One potential solution is scouring the trade market for cost-effective contributors on minimum deals.
The Athletic has issued a New Year's resolution for each NBA team, and for the Sixers, it's to keep turnovers down. After Monday night's overtime loss to Denver, that goal seems more pressing than ever. The trio of Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and Paul George will need to find a way to limit their mistakes if they want to stay ahead of the pack.
As the Sixers move forward, it's clear that they're at a crossroads. Can they continue to climb the hierarchy as an upper-tier Eastern Conference team, or will they fall back? Only time will tell, but one thing is certain – this team has all the ingredients to make a deep playoff run.
the sixers are so unpredictable rn... they're like trying to guess which way the wind blows 
... on one hand, that new lineup is straight fire 
, outscoring opponents by 8.4 points per 100 possessions... but barlow's net rating took a nosedive once he played over 75 minutes... what's up with that? 
... doc rivers has to make some tough decisions soon... if kelly oubre returns, is he gonna bump barlow out of the rotation? 
...
I mean, what's going on with him? Is it fatigue or is something else at play? Coach Doc Rivers needs to figure that out ASAP because if Barlow can't stay hot, the whole team suffers 
And yeah, trades are definitely a possibility - who wouldn't want a fresh face like Oubre back in the mix 
But for now, let's hope they keep the momentum going and don't mess up what's already working 
. i'm not buying all this hype around them just yet 
. If they wanna stay ahead, they gotta figure out how to keep him fresh without losin' his production 
. And yeah, ESPN bumpin' them up in the rankings is nice, but it's time to put their money where their mouth is and make some moves 
. Maybe they can find a cost-effective contributor on the trade market? That'd be a solid start 
. Also, turnovers down is a New Year's resolution I can get behind 
.
i mean, monday night was crazy they were winning by like 10 and then just blew it in OT because of stupid mistakes 
barlow is a solid player but he shouldn't be the one taking all that extra time out of embiid's rotation... something needs to change if they wanna stay ahead 
how Barlow's performance changes when he goes over 75 minutes, like his net rating drops drastically 
. It makes you wonder if Doc Rivers will keep him in the starting lineup or make some adjustments 
. Maybe they can look into trades to bring in some more depth, but for now, it looks like they're on the right track 
. It's like, what's goin' on with Barlow? He's been a game-changer for 'em, but then suddenly he just tanks 
. And now they're lookin' to make some moves, maybe do some tradin', to keep him happy... or is it gonna be about gettin' that championship ring 
? The thing is, I think they've got the talent to go all the way, but they gotta figure out their chemistry and limit those turnovers 
. Can they pull it off? Only time will tell... maybe they'll surprise us with a deep playoff run! 
One minute they're killing it with that new lineup and then next minute Barlow's Net Rating is tanking 
It's weird how quickly things can change in the NBA. I think Doc Rivers has to make some tough decisions about who's playing time is too valuable to give up. And yeah, trading for some cost-effective contributors on minimum deals could be a good way to supplement their roster 
But one thing that's for sure is they need to work on limiting turnovers if they wanna stay ahead of the competition 
. Can't keep making lineup changes every other game or it'll throw off their whole rhythm. Doc Rivers needs to find a way to make it work or at least have a plan B in case things don't click 
They're surging and then BAM! Barlow's net rating tanks after hitting that 75-minute mark. I guess you could say he's been 'edge'-ing out the competition... just kidding Edgecombe is a beast though 