The 76ers have one glaring issue

Coming off the worst season of Philadelphia basketball in almost a decade, the Tyrese Maxey-led 76ers have mustered up 7 wins in the first 11 games of the year. We’ve seen countless positives, from the advancements of Maxey from All-Star to All-NBA level, VJ Edgecombe‘s emphatic start, and the breakout games from Trendon Watford and Justin Edwards. Just about every game of the Sixers’ season has been competitive, with Philly either crawling back to stay in games or extending their leads through big runs.

But the 3rd quarter has been a problem.

Philadelphia is 1-10 in the 3rd quarter this season, many of those margins being in double-digits.

The 76ers shouldn’t even have 4 losses if we’re being frank. Philadelphia’s 11-point loss to Cleveland came after being outscored by 17 in the 3rd, the 3-point loss to Detroit came after being outscored by 13, and the 2-point loss to the Bulls came after being outscored by 8.

This is a major issue, and the team knows that.

“We actually started the third quarter pretty good,” Maxey said after the loss to Detroit. “We were on a couple of runs, made them call a timeout, and then just went downhill from there. It’s like sometimes we can’t get a rhythm in the third quarter, and we got to do a better job of that.”

The Sixers are averaging just 23 points in the third period this year, and are allowing about 33 points. This 10-point difference is a result of poor offensive production out of the gate, which we’ve seen time in and time out.

Philly’s slow starts to the second half are costing them games, but there are a few options that Nick Nurse could implement that could turn things around.

Nurse could resort to the ‘Twin Towers’, throwing in Adem Bona and Joel Embiid at the same time. Some offensive putbacks or defensive boards could be a major plus to Philly, and Bona has demonstrated he can fly to the rim for some buckets if need be. Additionally, a defensive-minded approach to the quarter could be the right move. Throwing in high-level defenders, such as Edgecombe, Bona, Watford, and Dominick Barlow, could be a great help. Let the defense take over, and it will translate to offense, whether that be through Maxey or whoever else may be on the court.

All of these potential changes that can be made haven’t even taken into account that we have yet to see Paul George or a fully acclimatized Jared McCain.

George may not be able to produce the offensive statistics that he used to, but his defense is still noteworthy. Adding his defensive efforts could be the addition that Philadelphia needs to get over the hump in the 2nd half. McCain, on the other hand, isn’t fully back to his full potential. Last season, we saw McCain have a Rookie of the Year caliber campaign before he went down with his knee injury, and if he can get back to near that offensive production this season, he could be a huge piece. McCain could be the go-to for some quick offensive spurts for Philly in a slow period.

McCain, however, was assigned to the Delaware Blue Coats on Thursday. He is expected to play with them on Thursday and Saturday to get minutes and continue acclimating.

Philadelphia is a good team, but if they can not give up their leads and stay strong in the 3rd period, they could be a great team.

Get New Articles Emailed Right To Your Inbox: