76ers' Defensive Stat 'Embarrassingly' Disappointing

The 76ers called out their struggles on defense, and the numbers back up their own concerns.

The Philadelphia 76ers have been a shockingly disappointing team to start the 2022-2023 season. After making a few critical changes to the roster in the offseason, many believed the Sixers were going to look much better after another second-round exit, courtesy of the Miami Heat.

So far, the Sixers are arguably the league’s most disappointing team through five games, as they have just one win, which came against the Indiana Pacers, who are 1-4 as well.

The Sixers aren’t ready to hit the panic button just yet. It’s still October, and there are 77 games left to be played. Talent-wise, the roster is in good hands as Joel Embiid, James Harden, Tyrese Maxey, and Tobias Harris are healthy and available to headline the team.

But when it comes to effort, that’s where the Sixers run into some problems. Following a loss to the San Antonio Spurs last Saturday, the Sixers acknowledged their lack of effort on the court. Fast forward to Wednesday night in Toronto, and the same issue came about.

Doc Rivers claimed the Raptors played with more energy than the Sixers. Joel Embiid admitted that he sensed the team was playing flat. Anybody watching it called it how they saw it, and the lack of effort is beginning to show up in the numbers.

Through the first five games of the year, the Sixers’ defense has been the biggest cause for concern — especially when in transition. After another lackluster showing in that department on Wednesday night against the Raptors, the Sixers are logging historically bad stats in the transition.

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. https://t.co/oPwy3Zyh80

— Mr. Statistician Face Man (@tomhaberstroh) October 27, 2022

Per Tom Haberstroh, the Sixers are giving up 139 points per 100 possessions in transition. To no surprise, that is the worst rate in the league currently.

On Wednesday night, the Sixers turned the ball over 13 times, which helped the Raptors generate 21 points, just adding to their list of defensive issues.

The Sixers weren’t particularly great in transition defense last season. Although the newest additions were supposed to help on the defensive end, the Sixers have regressed in transition up to this point.

So far, the Sixers have allowed 136 total points in transition, according to NBA.com. That ranks second-to-last, just in front of the Houston Rockets. 

A flip of the switch won’t magically patch up the Sixers’ problems five games into the year, but they have to find a quick solution soon. It seems the Sixers can help themselves out by improving their effort in transition, but so far, they have struggled to execute despite acknowledging their issues earlier this week. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.