76ers' 10-3 Record Reveals Something Their Critics Are Missing

The Philadelphia 76ers have a few days off before their next game Sunday afternoon against the Indiana Pacers. Even though they’re coming off a victory against the Toronto Raptors, there’s still plenty of work for this team to do.

When you examine what makes this team so good, some of it is obviously the amount of talent. But that's not the only thing that has given this team a 10-3 record. It’s their resilience. Even in defeat, the 76ers battle hard to the end. Resilience is good, and it can certainly push you to do things you never thought they were capable of. 

With that resilience, head coach Nick Nurse made sure that they focused on specific aspects of the game after a tough loss to the Boston Celtics. Nurse said they wanted to get back to the fundamentals of basketball, and that meant getting back into better spacing as well as the “next action stuff".

Jaylen Brown and Tyrese Maxey shared his same sentiments, stating roughly the same thing, and added that when they utilize their talent the right way, it can make things much easier for everyone else. 

There’s definitely going to be some frustrating moments with this 76ers team, but they play hard, and it shows in their defense. The defense being ranked in the top five says so much more than what people realize. It’s also very telling that a team that has absolutely no center depth is still one of the best defensive teams in the NBA. There’s so much focus on what the team needs that no one is focusing on some of the incredible things this team is doing.

Their best backup center is 6 foot 9. Now, you can take your pick of Jabari Walker or Dean Wade, who have filled in the role as best they can, but it’s amazing that even with these adjustments, the defense is still top-notch. 

Offensively you can get upset at the iso-heavy possessions, but when it matters, team basketball comes to the front when they truly need a basket. That’s why it was so important for the starters to be able to create for themselves. It’s always going to be something that needs work, and right now there's nothing this front office can do at the moment to improve on those needs. 

But for now, enjoy what you’re seeing. The 76ers are more capable of winning now than they ever were a season ago. The adjustments will come; it just has to be done at the right time, in the precise moment it’s needed.