The Week That Was: 11/12 - 11/18

STAR OF THE WEEK: 

Joel Embiid
This week’s star goes to Joel Embiid! The big man posted 33-points per during the seven day period, with 13-rebounds and three blocks as the Sixers finished the week 2 – 1. The center shined bright in the Cali sun and showed when HEALTHY the court is his playground. Embiid hit the Staples Center floor against the Los Angeles Clippers on the heels of scoring just 11-points two nights earlier in a 135 – 114 loss to the Golden State Warriors. The 11 points were the big man’s second lowest scoring output of the season.

Playing against two-time All-Defensive first team member DeAndre Jordan the 76er center scored a then season high 32-points and grabbed 16-rebounds. The franchise big scored his previous game total of 11-points in the first quarter and set the tone as Philly rolled 109 – 105. As good as the center looked against the Clippers it was a mere dalliance with greatness compared to the Lakers performance.

A 32-point road performance is impressive, but a 46-point follow-up is downright captivating. Philadelphia’s franchise big man put on a show with a 19-point fourth quarter serving as the encore to seal the 115 – 109 win. The first 76er to score 40-points in a game since Allen Iverson will most certainly be the headline, however the story is the 23-year-old’s ability to remain healthy thus far.

​The schedule offers a solid contest against the Portland Trailblazers. The Blazers come to town with skilled seven-footer Jusuf Nurkic, who should test the Sixer cornerstone. 

STAT OF THE WEEK: 

Inside the 46
It is common knowledge that Joel Embiid has a penchant for taking the ill-advised……….too early in the shot clock……..we can get that shot at any time three-pointer. As of yet his shot selection has not drastically impacted the team in the win/loss column.

In a league where few centers take pride in having a post presence, it is not rare to find a seven-footer that lives or dies with their jumpshot. However, the Joel seemed intent on establishing his post dominance against the Los Angeles Lakers. Of Embiid’s 20 shots that night 11 were inside the paint. This is a far cry from the three ball hoisting player that showed up in a 124 – 116 loss to the Golden State Warriors.

​That contest would see a 7-for-16 performance with only six of those 16 attempts coming from the paint. Whenever a player’s scoring prowess is mentioned in the same breath as Allen Iverson it is commendable, hopefully the big man continues to reside in that rare air.

BEN SIMMONS VS. EVERYBODY:

Michael Carter-Williams and Allen Iverson are the only Philadelphia 76ers to win Rookie of the Year honors. While there is no documented rhyme or reason as to how one acquires the prestigious award, statistically ranking ahead of your contemporaries would not be a bad place to commence an argument for your candidacy. Below is a breakdown of where current Philly rookie phenom Ben Simmons ranks against the top five first year performers for the week and year. (Statistics are broken down for the week and the year to date WEEK/YEAR).

Ben Simmons – 76ers
22.5/18.7 - PPG
9.8/9.2 - RPG
7.0/7.6 - APG
37.2/34.8 - MPG
2 – 1/8 – 7: RECORD

Lonzo Ball – Lakers
6.5/8.9 - PPG
8.0/7.1 - RPG
6.0/7.1 - APG
31.8/33.1 - MPG
1 – 2/6 – 10: RECORD  

Dennis Smith Jr – Mavericks
12.6/14.1 - PPG
5.4/4.3 - RPG
3.0/4.4 - APG
30.8/28.6 - MPG
1 – 3/3 – 14: RECORD

Jayson Tatum – Celtics 
14.6/13.9 - PPG
6.2/5.8 - RPG
0.2/1.3 - APG
31.4/30.3 - MPG
4 – 0/15 – 2: RECORD

Lauri Markkanen – Bulls
10.0/15.6 - PPG
4.7/8.0 - RPG
2.0/1.6 - APG
24.3/33.0 - MPG
1 – 1/3 – 10: RECORD 

De’Aaron Fox – Kings
8.8/11.0 - PPG
2.2/3.0 - RPG 
3.6/4.7 - APG
26.2/26.6 - MPG
1 – 3/4 – 12: RECORD

ANSWERING THE CALL – A.I.’s rookie year

It has been exactly 20 seasons since Hall-of-Fame guard Allen Iverson first blessed the NBA hardwood and ignited the city of Philadelphia. From the moment the Virginia native donned a Philadelphia 76ers uniform fans everywhere had a feeling Iverson was special and their basketball prayers were finally answered.

The organization struggled mightily through five consecutive losing seasons before selecting the six foot powerhouse out of Georgetown, first overall. It appears the franchise has found another transcendent player, in first year “guard” Ben Simmons. Oddly enough this year’s prized rookie guard hits the court after yet another five consecutive losing seasons.

As spectators enjoy the greatness and infancy stages of Simmons’ career, it is hard to forget the last time Philly had something (or someone) this special to root for. So while we partake in the now, it is impossible to not reminisce the before.

The Diesel and some Magic come to Philly  
Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers arrived in Philly for their first encounter with the “bul A.I.”. The future Rookie of the Year did not disappoint as the 76ers walked into halftime with a 54 – 44 lead. The second half was a different story unfortunately, as the Diesel made 5-of-6 freethrows in the fourth quarter and snatched a game-high 20 rebounds leading Los Angeles to a 100 – 88 victory. Iverson had a game-high 27 field goal attempts, displaying early in his rookie year the guard had the heart of a champion.

Next up were the Orlando Magic, who entered the contest a surprising 7 – 3 after losing O’Neal. The Magic proved to be formidable for Iverson, forcing the guard into seven turnovers and a fourth quarter benching. Nevertheless, Philly got the win 100 – 91 despite what appeared to be subpar performance from the former Georgetown Hoya. With back-to-back games of 10 assists, against two of the leagues better teams it was hard to convince the star his style was not successful.

A match-up with the Vancouver Grizzlies “The Answer” did not provide the efficiency head coach Johnny Davis was looking for. The lead guard managed to shoot better than 50 percent, going 8-for-14, but that pesky turnover problem continued to haunt Iverson. He would finish the game with 10 turnovers, but Philly would hold on for the 96 – 90 win. The Sixers were a respectable 7 – 8, but the talk of the league was the enthusiasm and excitement Iverson had generated. 

TWEET OF THE WEEK:

They came back #76ers #Philadelphia76ers #sixers #gsw #GoldenStateWarriors pic.twitter.com/SO4rCW76HY

— Anzel brock the chef (@chefanzel) November 19, 2017