Give and Go: Examining Sixers at Quarter Pole of Season

Each week, our resident basketball analysts will discuss some of the hottest topics involving the Sixers.

Running the Give and Go are NBC Sports Philadelphia anchor/reporter Marshall Harris, NBCSportsPhiladelphia.com producer/reporter Paul Hudrick and NBCSportsPhiladelphia.com producer/reporter Matt Haughton.

In this edition, we analyze the Sixers' biggest strength and weakness at the quarter mark of the 2017-18 season.

Harris
The Sixers' biggest strength at the quarter pole is their ability to bang down low, specifically when it comes to rebounding. As a team, they lead the league in rebounds per game (49.6) and rebound percentage (53.5 percent). Joel Embiid leads the way, but it goes well beyond the man in the middle. Ben Simmons, Dario Saric, Robert Covington and Amir Johnson also all have the ability to register double-digit rebounds any given night. The end of most successful defensive possessions is a rebound and the Sixers are able to rebound better than anyone else to this point.
 
All that rebounding comes in handy when you examine what the Sixers' biggest weakness has been so far. It's a problem that's plagued the Sixers throughout Brett Brown's tenure, but it's to be expected with a young, fast-paced team. No one turns it over more times a game than the Sixers (17.5 per game) as 16.8 percent of their possessions end in turnovers. While that's bad, the Sixers only allow an average of 17.7 points per game off turnovers. It's not ideal, but there are nine teams that allow more.
 
This could go either way the rest of the season. Think of how good the Sixers can be if they continue to dominate on the glass. On the other hand, think of games that can be lost if they don't tighten up the ball security. Let's reassess at the halfway point.

Hudrick
Although it's still not exactly where it should be, the Sixers' depth is the best it's been in what feels like forever. Their starting lineup alone features five players that can all score the basketball in a variety of ways. 

The bench has been more up than down. T.J. McConnell has been tremendous and his absence was felt as Kyrie Irving ran amuck against the Sixers Thursday night. After a slow start, Amir Johnson has provided solid minutes from the backup center position. Richaun Holmes, a strong backup in his own right, hasn't been able to get off the bench when Joel Embiid plays. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Jerryd Bayless can both have a role. But as we've seen, if they're asked to do too much, they can be exposed.

It's hard to be disappointed in much from a team that's on a 48-win pace that I thought would struggle to go .500. It was already mentioned by Marshall, but the turnovers have been a big issue. Embiid has been one of the bigger culprits in this category (4.1 turnover per game), but this is all new to him. He still needs to a do a better job of what Brett Brown calls "quarterbacking the gym."

I can live with the turnovers that come as a result of the Sixers' breakneck pace. If they can clean up the turnovers in the half court, they should be just fine.

Haughton
I'm going off the board a bit for the biggest strength and say the team's togetherness. One thing Brett Brown has never been lacking for is an ability to motivate. Even when his teams were devoid of talent and healthy bodies during previous seasons, Brown was always able to put a group on the floor that competed to the final whistle. More importantly, the Sixers never came unraveled amid the mounting losses.

Now that he has a vastly improved roster, Brown's handling of things has remained the same. With emerging superstars (Embiid, Simmons), high-priced free agents (JJ Redick), undrafted gems (Covington, T.J. McConnell) and even disgruntled players (Jahlil Okafor), the coach has managed to maintain the pulse of the evolving locker room. That's not easy in today's NBA.

One thing Brown hasn't been able to get a handle on during his time in Philadelphia, as Marshall mentioned above, is turnovers. In his four full years at the helm, the Sixers finished 30th, 30th, 29th and 30th in turnovers per game. So far this season, the squad is dead last again.

The Sixers should certainly make the postseason barring any major injuries, but their stay will be short lived if they don't learn to value the basketball at some point.