CAMDEN, NJ — Halfway through the season, the Philadelphia 76ers are mostly making good on the promise of being an elite defensive team. Although they aren't the very best, which was this squad's stated goal in the preseason, the Sixers have ranked as high as second and currently rank fourth in defensive rating.

De'Anthony Melton, the team's chief perimeter defender, knows that the Sixers still have some work to do. When asked what the two biggest things they have to work on for the remainder of the season are, Melton stated one key area on defense: transition.

“Communication and quality transition defense. I think those are our two biggest things,” Melton said following Sixers' Tuesday morning shootaround. “We understand that and we’re still having a top-five defense this year, which is huge for us. Those things, we can grow in. It just gives us more motivation where we can be defensively…We feel like we can be the number one team defensively. We’re gonna keep getting better at it.”

Transition defense was a major source of disappointment for the Sixers early in the season. There has been an improvement but still room to be even better. Philadelphia ranks 21st in points per 100 possessions in transition defense, per Cleaning the Glass, and is less than a whole point from last place. Although this highlights just how amazing their defense has been in halfcourt situations, being below average is something to fix.

Melton said that the comfort level with the Sixers is still good — and it should be. Despite a myriad of injuries, including a foot issue that has held Joel Embiid out for the past three games, the team is making progress on both sides of the ball and has one of the better records in a very competitive Eastern Conference. Recognizing their success while staying hungry for improvement will be crucial as they pursue a championship.