The Philadelphia 76ers have not been off to the best of starts, having begun the season with a 1-4 record after their most recent 109-119 loss to the Toronto Raptors. While Sixers fans have grown increasingly frustrated with head coach Doc Rivers, and Joel Embiid hasn't strung together consistent performances thus far as he puts his battle with plantar fasciitis in the rear view mirror, there is one area of concern the Sixers must address immediately as they try to snap out of their funk.
According to Tom Haberstroh, “the Sixers are giving up an embarrassingly-high 139 points per 100 possessions in transition, the worst rate in the NBA this season and on pace to be the worst since @SynergySST began tracking in 2004.”
That is simply unacceptable for a team with lofty goals of competing for an NBA championship.
One play in particular during the Sixers' defeat to the Raptors shows just how much work the Sixers need to put into the effort department. In this clip posted by Steph Noh, the Sixers appear to just have given up after a James Harden turnover with five minutes to go in the fourth quarter.
The effort on this transition defense by the Sixers is woof. pic.twitter.com/hCStn03n90
— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) October 27, 2022
On the play above, Joel Embiid impressive hustled to prevent an easy layup from Precious Achiuwa. However, the Raptors were quick to support him with numbers, as Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, and Gary Trent Jr. were available outlets after Achiuwa was walled off at the rim. While Harden and Tyrese Maxey were back in the defensive fold, the Sixers were still outnumbered, giving up a wide open three to Trent just as De'Anthony Melton and Tobias Harris entered the frame.
Swish. And the Sixers' deficit went up to 13 in a crucial juncture in the game.
Justifiably, Doc Rivers went in on his guys for such a blatant lack of effort, which is especially egregious during the fourth quarter of a hotly contested game.
“We just gifted them baskets,” Rivers told reporters after the game. “They kicked out butt. […] I thought they had far more energy than us tonight.”
Thankfully, the effort level of players is a correctable variable, and perhaps the Sixers, after facing adversity through the first week or so of the season, will be extra motivated to bring in more than 100 percent effort night-in, night-out. They will have 77 more games to figure it out, and they will need to start by making a concerted attempt to get back on defense to rectify what had been such a dreadful start in that department.
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