Pros and Cons: Sixers vs. Hornets

Instant observations after Sixers-Hornets.

Adam Aaronson, whose legal name is Sixers Adam (@SixersAdam on Twitter), covers the Sixers for The Rights To Ricky Sanchez. He believes cantaloupe is the best food in existence, and is brought to you by the Official Realtor of The Process, Adam Ksebe.

---

Riding a seven-game winning streak, the Sixers returned home tonight to face off with the young and exciting Charlotte Hornets. Here’s what’s on my mind following this one:

Pro: Charlie Brown Jr. converted to two-way contract, Aaron Henry released

Here’s what I wrote on Monday night after Brown impressed in the Sixers’ win over the Houston Rockets:

“I didn’t expect Brown to get any real minutes after signing a 10-day hardship deal with the Sixers. But over the last few games, he’s been given a chance to impress, and he’s done exactly that, culminating in a performance tonight that was his best yet in a Sixers uniform.

What stands out most with Brown is his athleticism. The Sixers have had so few athletic wings in recent years, that Brown boasting a 6-foot-7 frame with obvious quickness and hustle makes him seem like an alien. He’s also got great hands that allow him to be disruptive on the defensive end, a trait he’s displayed throughout his brief Sixers tenure.

Unless they have more players entering the COVID-19 health and safety protocols in the near future, the Sixers may not be able to keep Brown in the fold for now. But he has unquestionably provided the team with some real value while on the 10-day contract.”

The Sixers found a way to keep Brown around for the rest of the season, releasing Henry and using his two-way roster spot to sign Brown following his 10-day deal. 

The sample size is quite small, but Brown has already shown enough promise to earn the spot. His athleticism jumps off the page, and he has already flashed impressive defensive ability in multiple respects. 

As this team finally reaches full health, Brown may be on the outside looking in at the regular rotation. But he’s already shown enough to earn some level of faith that he could be a useful NBA player.

Con: Sixers defense struggles mightily -- and gets lucky

Charlotte’s offense got whatever they wanted tonight for pretty much the entire game. To anyone who watched the game, it was clear how porous the Sixers’ defense was. And when you glean the box score, you’ll see that the Sixers had a substandard defensive performance. But it could -- and should -- have been even worse. 

The Hornets totaled 109 points for the game, despite shooting 10-34 from beyond the arc. While their shooting line may indicate otherwise, they were afforded many wide open threes. 

The Hornets controlled things for nearly the entire game, but they could have blown the Sixers out of the water if they knocked down even an average amount of their wide open three-point tries.

Some defenses succeed despite allowing lots of three-point attempts. But tonight, the Sixers looked out of sync on defense -- lackadaisical, really -- and it allowed Charlotte to pour it on.

The Sixers looked out of sorts from the second quarter on, and all of that started with a brutal defensive effort.

Con: Joel Embiid plagued by turnovers

Embiid played well tonight. Unfortunately, that’s not enough right now.

It sounds simplistic, I know. But with Tobias Harris struggling the way he is and Ben Simmons being out of the picture, among other things, Embiid needs to be his absolute best in order to win on most nights. Luckily, he has been for the last few weeks. 

But tonight, Embiid was sloppy with the ball -- turning the ball over seven times -- and failing to consistently create for others. The wretched floor spacing -- particularly with Andre Drummond also on the floor in the fourth quarter -- did him no favors. 

The Sixers have been asking Embiid for far too much on a nightly basis. While his MVP-level play can often mask that, it remains true that this team, given its current standing, cannot afford for Embiid to have anything resembling a rough outing against even decent teams like the Hornets.

The Sixers needed more from Embiid tonight -- but that isn’t his fault.