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The Philadelphia 76ers have started the season on the wrong foot after suffering defeats to the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks in their first two games.
In their season opener on Tuesday, the Sixers lost 126-117 to the Celtics at TD Garden. Two days later, they lost 90-88 to the Bucks in their home opener.
In this article, we look at three things the Philadelphia 76ers should improve, following their poor start:
1. Philadelphia 76ers' defensive transition
In their first two games, the Philadelphia 76ers showed they have defensive issues, especially on defensive transition. Either because of turnovers or poor effort to return to defense after a missed shot, the Sixers have allowed their opponents to run the floor easily.
Against the Celtics, they conceded 24 fast-break points, which allowed Boston to take control and build a lead, especially in the second half.
On Thursday, they allowed Milwaukee to score 17 fast-break points, which caused a lot of damage given how close the game was.
The Bucks struggled to score in 5-on-5 situations, mainly because of the Sixers' size, yet they took advantage of their opponents' poor defensive transition.
Starting with a home game against the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday, Philadelphia should improve its defensive transition. They need to make sure that they don't allow their opponents to score easy fast-break points.
2. Ball movement
The iso basketball of James Harden and Joel Embiid is one of the Sixers' main characteristics when it comes to game planning and preparation. Coach Doc Rivers and the rest of the team rely a lot on Harden and Embiid's ability to create for themselves and score.
However, such plays are not that effective when Philadelphia faces great defensive teams like the Celtics and the Bucks, who play physical as well.
At TD Garden, the Celtics forced turnovers and scored 22 points with just double- and triple-teaming Embiid and Harden.
When that happens, the Philadelphia 76ers should avoid such struggles by increasing their offensive pace and improving their ball movement.
Despite the presence of consistent shooters like Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey in the lineup, the Sixers have not moved the ball well. This is mainly because they have failed to create open shots.
3. Getting more players involved on offense
As mentioned, the Sixers rely a lot on James Harden and Joel Embiid's iso plays. This means Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey have to mainly play off the ball. They should get more players involved on offense either by running plays or sharing the ball faster to create open shots.
Against the Bucks on Thursday, Embiid (6-of-21) and Harden (13-of-24) combined for 45 shots, making 19 of them. Tyrese Maxey went 6-for-13 and Tobias Harris 4-for-10.
The other seven players that spent time on the floor combined for just 15 shots, making seven of them.
Besides their Big Four, the rest of the team doesn't have a significant role in the team's offense. And that, of course, is a problem, especially against top-tier teams.
That said, the Sixers have a couple of easy matchups next: the San Antonio Spurs (Saturday) and Indiana Pacers (Monday). The 76ers should show some improvement before traveling to face another playoff contender in the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.
