The student newspaper of Bucks County Community College

The Centurion

The student newspaper of Bucks County Community College

The Centurion

The student newspaper of Bucks County Community College

The Centurion

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76ers Have Historic Month to Start Off the New Year

Over the month of January, the Philadelphia 76ers only lost five games, which is a great achievement considering how bad the 76ers have been in the past few years. The 10 wins in the month of January is the most they have had in over five years in a single month. The progress this team is making in such little time is shocking.

The 76ers had 10 wins in the past 31 days, with the team’s comeback win over the Sacramento Kings earlier last week being the most recent.

“It’s an exciting time for our team,” said Bucks student, Max Cascerceri, 18, a business major from Doylestown, “the team is finally hitting their stride and winning games.”

Over the entirety of last season, the 76ers had just 10 wins. Looking to double the win count before All-Star break seems like a possibility all thanks to the progression of the players under staff.

Joel Embiid, the rookie that this city has embraced with open arms, has been a monster this season, averaging numbers almost nobody has ever seen before.

Although he continues to have a minute restriction, Embiid’s impact is significant both offensively and defensively. In just 25.3 minutes per game, he is averaging 19.8 points per game, a per36 number that’s only been seen by Wilt Chamberlin as a rookie.

Even when Embiid sits out of a game, whether it is his sore knees or rest, the young team has been able to hold its own out there. The veteran presence of Jerryd Bayless and Gerald Henderson has been so beneficial to the development of these younger players.

The evolution of TJ McConnell being molded into a real NBA point guard has been an example of that.

The undrafted point guard out of Arizona has started 17 games this season and in the past six games, he has averaged 10.8 assists per game. Players like Nik Stauskas and Nerlens Noel have benefitted from playing extra minutes and because of that, they have also made a tremendous impact on the 76ers.

The real question on everyone’s mind at this point in the season is; can this team make a playoff push?

The answer is yes.

Ever since the start of 2017, the Sixers have looked like a totally different team. They are one of the hottest teams in the NBA right now and are creeping up on the 8th seed in the conference ever so slightly.

The Eastern Conference is weak this year. Nine teams are under .500 out of the 15. This leaves any team in the running for a spot in the post season so don’t rule out the fighters in Philly.

Let’s not forget the 1st overall pick from this past draft hasn’t even suited up for the team yet.

Ben Simmons is a franchise changer with his ability to do what most people can’t do at his size. His court vision and passing ability are of someone 10 inches shorter and that can only be good for the team that lacks guard play.

“I can’t wait to see Ben (Simmons) play,” Justin Longo, 18, a student at Bucks said, “I went to the NBA draft and the atmosphere around him was electric.”

Therefore, add him to the mix with the other young players on the 76ers and the sky is the limit for this team.

The Sixers start February on the road with high hopes and a revved engine looking to continue their hot streak and playoff push. With their new-found ability to finish games and the top 10 defense they possess, there isn’t a bar too high for them to get to.