How The Sixers Are Going To Make The Process Work

It's not always been everybody's cup of tea, but 'The Process' is slowly building the Philadelphia 76ers into a championship contender.

The tanking and injured draft picks are well-documented. Frustration and resentment from inside and out of the franchise ran rampant for years. But that all changed to start the 2018-19 season. A feeling of hope tipped the season off as their Rookie of the Year in Ben Simmons and finally healthy MVP-in-waiting Joel Embiid appeared ready to make the leap.

Simmons got straight into his work while Embiid flew out of the blocks to put himself into the MVP and DPOY conversations within a month of the season starting. But still, the sense was the Sixers were still a step or two behind the Toronto Raptors and what everybody expects the Boston Celtics to become.

However, the landscape changed when Jimmy Butler came to town.

Minnesota has agreed to a deal to send Jimmy Butler to Philadelphia for a package that includes Robert Covington and Dario Saric, league sources tell @ZachLowe_NBA and me.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 10, 2018

He's a number one guy, another alpha dog, a multiple All-Star, a clutch performer and finisher, and the exact sort of player the Sixers needed to add to their roster to initiate the next phase of the process.

A contributor on both sides of the ball, Butler is a brilliant piece to put beside Embiid, in particular. Both can have their nights filling up the box score. If one is firing from all cylinders and demanding more of the ball, the other can have a significant impact on the defensive end.

On paper, it's a match made in heaven.

In reality, it's a relationship that has already passed through the honeymoon phase.

As a two-man lineup, Simmons and Embiid played with a plus-4.6 net rating before Butler arrived. The 102.9 offensive rating wasn't elite, but the 98.3 defensive rating propped up the time the two spent together on the court.

Add Butler to the duo and the offensive rating lifts to 107.3 and the defensive rating to 102.3 for a plus-4.8 net rating.

There no doubt the Sixers are a better team than they were two months ago, but the sluggish pace the process is now travelling has Embiid questioning aspects of the kinship as he looks back at all the fun he had before Butler turned up.

Embiid's Frustration

Embiid hasn't been pleased with how Brett Brown has used him since incorporating Butler into the lineup telling The Inquirer: 

“I think it’s mainly because of the way I’ve been used, which is I’m being used as a spacer, I guess, a stretch five, which I’m only shooting [29] percent" from three-point range.

“But it seems like the past couple games, like with the way I play, our setup, [Brown] always has me starting on the perimeter … and it just really frustrates me. My body feels great, and it’s just I haven’t been playing well.”

Embiid is frustrated, but the numbers suggest he might be looking at life before Butler through rose tinted glasses.

A slight drop in counting stats was expected when adding another All-Star to the rotation. Since Butler's arrival, Embiid's points per game have dropped from 28.5 to 25.2 despite shooting just 0.6 fewer field goals at the same 48.4% clip. Rebounds (13.4 to 13.2) are slightly down while Embiid's blocks per game have seen a more significant dip (2.1 to 1.7).

However, it's not as though Butler is taking the ball out of Embiid's hands. In fact, the numbers tell a different story.

The three Philly stars spend so little time on the floor together that Embiid still gets to eat while one of the other two sit. The trio only plays 17 minutes per game together while Embiid gets an extra four minutes on the floor with Simmons.

He may feel a certain way, but there's enough evidence to suggest Embiid will end up happier than what he is now.

Adjusting To Butler

With his touches up from 82.1 to 86.7 overall since Butler turned up, Embiid's usage rate is up from 30.9% to 31.9%. He still sees plenty of the ball and even more than he was used to in the post - another touchy subject for the Cameroonian.

He's talked about his disdain for playing more of a stretch-5 role, however, within that increase in touches with Butler on the scene, Embiid is averaging more touches in the paint (7.1 to 8.2) while he's also adding another 1.3 postups for 11 per game.

Then there are the three-point numbers. He had been launching 4.2 three-pointers a night in the 15 games without Butler with that number dropping to 3.7 in the 20 with him.

The offense still runs through Embiid, and his role hasn't changed all that much. It is the first time Embiid has shared the floor with a bonafide scorer that can realistically match him point-for-point, though.

Watching the Sixers more recently, it's clear Embiid is hovering further from the hoop to stretch the floor and open up space for Butler who drives 9.8 times per game - a stark increase to the traded Robert Covington's 2.2 per game. Simmons' limitations as a perimeter shooter don't help Embiid either, but it was easier to accommodate his 8.7 (down from 8.6) drives per game without Butler.

And it's that word 'accommodate' that Embiid might need to hear more of in the near future. Sure, he's the most appealing player on the roster and should go further than either of his co-stars, but we know one star being asked to do too much doesn't work in the NBA these days. He needs help, and most importantly, he needs to want help.

The Next Phase

Embiid is an MVP talent, and a few struggles aren't unexpected, but he might be making a little too much of it all.

Things might feel a little strange. Not everybody can be the perfect fit like the defending NBA champions as adding another star to a roster is difficult at the best of times. 

If he can remain relatively healthy, Joel Embiid is a future hall of famer pic.twitter.com/gNGGRQKJ4n

— Jon Johnson (@jonjohnsonwip) December 28, 2018

Nevertheless, trading for Butler was Philly's best option for accelerating the process. Should they all do what they need to do to make it work, we could be talking about them as a genuine threat to the Eastern Conference title as early as this coming April.

Right now, they are the couple that has just moved in together for the first time. You need to be a little more considerate than before, pick your battles, and let a few things fly from time to time to keep a happy home.

If Embiid needs to spend some more time on the perimeter than he's accustomed to over the next few months while they figure out how to make it work, then that's what he needs to do.

A lot of the commentary around the Sixers has been around Embiid as though he's the problem - he's not. There are a number of questions Philly as a whole must answer before becoming a serious contender. But as the best player with the potential to lead his team to a championship, Embiid has the best answers.

Remember, the Stats Insider projections are dynamic and are subject to change right up to the jump. Always gamble responsibly.

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