Next up we have Elton Brand, Jrue Holiday and the Philadelphia 76ers. Unlike the Raptors the Sixers have a chance to turn things around despite the sluggish start with a young, athletic roster and new voice on the bench.

4. PHILADELPHIA 76ERS: 2-8

KEY TEAM STATISTICS:

Points per game: 99.8 (18th)

Opponents points per game: 103.4 (19th)

Offensive rating: 103.8 (24th)

Defensive rating: 107.5 (16th)

TEAM LEADERS: Scoring – Elton Brand (16.3), Rebounding – Elton Brand (7.9), Assists – Jrue Holiday(7.2), Steals – Jrue Holiday, Elton Brand (1.9), Blocks – Elton Brand (1.4)

I can’t figure out whether this 76ers bunch is coming or going – they alternate between above average and awful every game, which is a good sign of learning new offensive and defensive systems on the fly. Some nights they just put the puzzle pieces together correctly and on others the entire freakin’ puzzle has been tossed on the floor and the pieces jumbled. You get the idea.

The positive news for fans so far is that Doug Collins has his team headed in the right direction, especially defensively. Last season they ranked 24th in points per 100 possessions and this year have improved that to at least the league average. I do expect that as the season goes on these guys with improve this ranking considerably – they have too many athletes not to make their rotations.

Also, with the athletes they do have at their disposal they are not forcing enough turnovers. Think Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry! The transition game is your friend!

Offensively this group is still finding itself, especially with the “not in his prime, not quite finished” version of Elton Brand. When they post Brand up he is delivering buckets at an efficient level (.560 shooting) but when he is doubled and forced to pass out this team does not have a single elite-level three-point shooter other than Jason Kapono, whose defensive shortcomings force him to the bench.

Not only that, this team could thrive in transition and Brand slows them down a bit because he is simply not that effective at delivering the outlet pass these days. Watch video of Bill Russell, Elton. Now! It’s not just Elton’s fault though - watch a few clips of this team running in transition and you’ll see that their offensive spacing and when they “break” after a rebound could use some work. Lots of potential there, though.

Jrue Holiday has been a blessing for the 76ers at point guard, but like the team he goes from awesome to mediocre almost nightly. You might get a 20 point, 11 assist, 1 turnover performance from him on Tuesday but a 10 point, 6 turnover game on Thursday. This is pretty typical for a young player though, so I don’t want to be too harsh. He will become more consistent with time - he’s a player I’m definitely keeping an eye on this season.

Andre Iguodala, while losing his grip on the scoring front so far, has stepped up on defense and will find his groove in this offense before long. He needs to start driving harder to the hoop though as he’s averaging just 4.1 trips to the line this season.

Evan Turner is experiencing the typical rookie swingman growing pains – NBA players are much more physical in the paint and coming off screens cleanly is much more difficult at this level. It’s going to take him some time to acquire three-point range as well, considering he shot just .363 from long-range in college with a shorter distance.

Finally, our “MIA” player on this team would have to be newly acquired center Spencer Hawes, who looks like he’s lost some confidence assimilating this new offense. There has to be a reason you are playing just sixteen minutes per game so far, young man. What happened to that jump hook? The decent looking jumper that forced bigs out of the paint? And the rebounding, kind sir? Get on this, please!

As stated earlier, Philadelphia still has plenty of time and unlike Toronto actually has the players necessary to fight for a playoff berth. That is, if they can somehow acquire at least one more excellent three-point marksman before the deadline. Gosh this team needs a Mike Miller!

Predicted record at 25 games: 11-14

Coming up next: The New York Knicks