Despite some unfortunate circumstances, the Philadelphia 76ers are off to a strong start in the 2021-22 regular season. Through eight games, they sit at a record of 6-2, tied for second-best in the Eastern Conference.
Heading into the year, all eyes were on the Sixers to see how they would look with Ben Simmons still on the sidelines. Their roster is even more depleted now as Tobias Harris and Danny Green are out for some time.
Being down one starter is tough, let alone three. That said, the Sixers have not used their current situation as an excuse and continue to compete on a nightly basis.
Multiple factors can be attributed to the Sixers' success this season, but one stands out above the rest. The way they have shared the ball and distributed the scoring load has made them a very tough team to defend.
Looking at their last two games, the Sixers have had a balanced attack offensively. In their win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday, seven different players finished in double-figures. When the Sixers took down the red-hot Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, five players scored at least ten points.
Occasionally, when teams are down a star player, one guy might take it upon himself to fill the void. That has not been the case for the Sixers. Since they have been short-handed, it has been a collective effort to replace the talent missing on the floor.
Following the Sixers' win over Chicago, head coach Doc Rivers touched on how his team has been sharing the ball. He cited trust as the main component to the team's balanced attack compared to last season.
“The key is we kept moving the ball. We found Matisse late for a dunk, that’s trust. That’s something we wouldn’t have done early in the year. Seth [Curry] comes off and throws it to Tyrese [Maxey] for a drive. That’s something we wouldn’t have done last year, we’re doing things better this year than we would have last year,” said Rivers.
One thing regularly brought up when discussing the Sixers is their drastic culture change. Comparing this season and last to previous years, you can see the drastic changes in the team's dynamic.
New addition Georges Niang recently touched on the off-the-court culture of the Sixers. He feels this group has a lot of fun playing together, and it has allowed them to share the wealth scoring-wise with ease.
“I think the biggest thing with this team is we’re having fun playing alongside each other. The ball doesn’t stick. It’s flying around, everybody is sharing the wealth, and everyone is genuinely happy. You look at the box score, it’s all spread out. Everybody is able to do multiple things,” Niang said.
Not only do the Sixers look like a much deeper team this season, but they stand united as ever. This outcome is extremely impressive for a team that had endless drama surrounding i all offseason.
Teams that can easily distribute scoring like this can compete with anyone. The Sixers have shown that no matter who is in the lineup, they plan on giving teams their all on both ends every night. Their strong start to the year has shocked many around the basketball community.
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