Welcome to the Basketball Hangover. We’re here to talk about the daily happenings in the NBA!
Tobias Harris and the Sixers are quietly off to a 5-1 start.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Eric Hartline/USA Today.)
As we go back to the Eastern Conference, we now notice that there is one team at the top for now. It’s the 5-1 Philadelphia 76ers. They went out in a whimper last season after they got swept by the Boston Celtics.
So yeah, it’s easy for a lot of pundits to overlook the Sixers. There was also a lot of noise about trading either Joel Embiid or Ben Simmons. It intensified a bit when James Harden was rumored to be dealt there and it especially got louder when the Sixers hired ex-Rockets GM Daryl Morey. But the deals that were made was not too major, per se. The Sixers were able to get Seth Curry from Dallas in exchange for Josh Richardson (who was the major player in the Jimmy Butler sign-and-trade). Al Horford was also dealt to get Danny Green, who was traded to Oklahoma City by the Lakers. Once feared as possibly the best starting line-up (AND biggest), that five (especially Horford) never found a groove.
One thing that led to the Sixers’ early ouster last summer was that they had lost Simmons to injury. But we know that Simmons, despite not being able to score in the perimeter consistently, makes such a difference, especially on the defensive end. Embiid and Simmons make a deadly inside-outside defensive 1-2 punch. And we know what Embiid is capable of offensively. Currently, the Sixers are tops in defensive rating (99.9 points allowed in 100 possessions).
While their offense still isn’t the greatest, they got two players heating up. Curry has been a godsend, really, as they got a legitimate knockdown shooter back in the line-up. Steph’s little brother is averaging a career-best 16.2 points and is shooting .515 from three (he’s a career 44.5 shooter from three; those Curry men are assassins). And Tobias Harris, who gets criticized for getting an exorbitant deal, has been playing well. Harris is averaging 18.8 points and 8.5 boards and is also shooting a tid .484 from deep. Embiid still leads the team in scoring at 25.0 points but we all feel he’s capable of being more dominant than this.
But there are no longer miscastings in the line-up for Philly. They can comfortably spread the floor better with Curry in there. Maybe Harris is better used with his old coach, Doc Rivers, reuniting with him. And Embiid and Simmons can get back to what made them so deadly in the first place. They’ll probably have to shore up their bench a bit more but for now, Philly’s on top of the East early. And we probably shouldn’t ignore them much longer.
Bullet Passes
For now, it’s easy to say that the Rockets won the John Wall/Russell Westbrook trade. Wall seems to have regained his athleticism and movement. And he led the Rockets in a win over the Kings with 28-4-6 along with two swats and three steals with Harden sitting out.
Also, it’s early, but Christian Wood is averaging 23.8 points and 10.8 boards. It helps to have elite playmakers in Harden and Wall but holy sh…
Collin Sexton made a clutch three to break an 88-up score with 27 seconds left as the Cavs hand the Hawks their second loss.
Collin is averaging 26 points in 6 games. Again, early but this might be a sign of things to come. Mostly overlooked in the DeAndre Ayton/Luka Doncic/Trae Young draft of 2018, Sexton is showing that he belongs near or in the top of that class.
Speaking of the 2018 draft, Marvin Bagley III might be in a bit of trouble. His dad has a history of doing this and this tweet (since deleted but it stays forever on the internet) puts him in a no-win situation:
lol what a tool pic.twitter.com/ZYHWVYsEwe
— Greg (@gwiss) January 3, 2021
So it’s making Bagley choose support between his team or his dad. That completely sucks. We’ll see how this saga plays out.
The Knicks are off to a surprising 3-3 start. Julius Randle is doing everything at 21.2 points, 10.5 boards, and 7.2 assists. Tom Thibodeau is the coach for New York and there’s no doubt about his prowess. But will he wear down his players? RJ Barrett and Randle are first and third in minutes, respectively.
It’s still early but that panic button is getting larger with the 2019 NBA champion Toronto Raptors starting out at 1-4.
NBA Scoreboard
Jan. 2, 2021
Watch This Play
NOOB SAIBOT.
Oh my, @tobias31. pic.twitter.com/8DXTWVw8Ot
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 3, 2021
Everyone plays video games now; people should get that reference. But this dunk may very well be a fatality from Tobias Harris.
Everyone, please take care of yourselves during this pandemic. And that goes for everyone involved with the NBA as well.
You can find Rey-Rey on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
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