The Philadelphia 76ers have been at the very bottom of the league for three years running, and nothing made it more evident than their embarrassing 10-72 record last year. With a win percentage of only 12.2 percent, the 2016 76ers team was the third worst team in NBA, as per Land of Basketball. However, this season has seen a surprising turn of events for this team, and it only looks to get better.
The 76ers are now 16-27 and with a statistical shot of making it into the playoffs, a thought that Sixer fans may not be familiar with since 2012. This season's success is partly due to the stellar play of Cameroonian rookie, Joel Embiid. Limited to under 28 minutes a game and forced to ride the bench on back-to-back nights, Embiid averages 19.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game, all of which leads the team as per Basketball Reference.
The 76ers have won 9 of their last 12 games, including games against the Raptors, Bucks, Hornets, and their most recent 121-110 win over the Clippers. What made the win even more impressive was that it was done without the services of Joel Embiid and the team had to overcome a 19-point lead in the second half.
Aside from the impressive play of Embiid, another rookie looking to help bring the 76ers back to their winning ways is Ben Simmons. Simmons was the number one draft pick in this year's NBA Draft and is expected to be one of the core pieces in the teams rebuild. He suffered a fractured foot during the pre-season games and is expected to return after the All-Star break, as per NBA.com.
Rebuilding a team is not done overnight as in the 76ers case, it took three years of tanking and getting high draft picks to finally get a group of guys that play well together. And, as per the report by Business Insider, the 76ers are once again relevant.
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