Philadelphia 76ers: worst team of all time?
Currently on a 24-game losing streak dating to March 25th of last season, it's no secret that the Philadelphia 76ers are the worst team in the NBA. But on the verge of making losing streak history, just how bad are they?
They sit at a league worst 0-14 and rank last in in points per game, point differential, turnovers per game, assist-to-turnover ratio, offensive efficiency, and field goal percentage. They also rank 20th or worse in three-point percentage, free throw percentage, points per shot attempt, rebound differential, defensive efficiency, opponent points per game, and steals per game.
Understandably, they're last in overall attendance percentage as well.
They're two losses away from tying the longest losing streak in NBA history with 26 -- one that they set two seasons ago.
Taking all of that into account, is this 76ers team a legitimate candidate for worst ever? Are they worse than the 2009-10 New Jersey Nets that started out 0-18, or the 2011-12 Charlotte Bobcats that went 7-59? What about the Philadelphia team in '72-73 that went 9-73, or the 11-71 Denver Nuggets from '97-98?
Only time will tell, but they're inching closer by the game. If they don't earn a victory by the end of November, they will secure themselves as the worst team in NBA history.
But before declaring them as such, let's take a step back and see how they got to this point. How did a team eyeing an Eastern Conference finals trip just a few seasons ago become such a catastrophe?
They finished 2012-13 with a respectable 34-48 record and had a promising young all-star point guard in Jrue Holiday. But, they traded him to the New Orleans Pelicans for rookie Nerlens Noel and a 2014 first-round pick. They were able to grab point guard Michael Carter-Williams with the 11th pick in the draft, however, making the trade justifiable.
Noel never saw the floor his rookie year because of an ACL tear suffered during his lone season at Kentucky, but Carter-Williams appeared to be something special. The 6-6 rookie put up 16.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists -- numbers that earned him Rookie of the Year despite the Sixers only winning 19 games.
At the 2014 draft, Philly selected another injured big man. Joel Embiid, a 7 footer from Kansas, joined Noel and Carter-Williams to form a trio of young players capable of being NBA stars. The 19-win season hurt much less, and the future was looking brighter.
All of that changed halfway through the 2014-15 season. Winning ROY supposedly wasn't enough for the Sixers' front office, and Carter-Williams was sent packing to Milwaukee. Just like that, they lost two potential franchise point guards in as many years. Gone but not forgotten, Philly fell to another sub-20 win season.
Fast forward to 2015. Embiid has yet to play a game and Jahlil Okafor, their third big-man lottery selection in three years, is one of the only bright spots on the roster. They're are the laughingstock of the NBA and -- with their trend of giving away established talent for potential talent -- it doesn't look like that will change any time soon.
Their next game will be on Monday night against the 5-8 Minnesota Timberwolves.