Philadelphia 76ers Stat Monkey Brief: Sixers/Nets (3/11/13)
In Need of a Holiday
Add Jrue Holiday to the legion of Sixers fans who can't wait for this season to be over. Holiday is currently mired in his worst five-game stretch of the season, which happens to coincide with the Sixers' five-game skid. In that span, the All-Star PG has posted a laughable 29.3 effective field goal percentage (eFG%).
Part of Holiday's struggles can be attributed to his lack of help - Evan Turner, the Sixers' second-best player by default, has been slumping as well, and Nick Young has been sidelined with a sprained ankle. No one else on the team can (or should) be expected to generate their own offense, which has allowed teams to key on Holiday. Jrue’s assist rates have remained solid during his swoon – he’s averaging close to 10 dimes during the losing streak – the result of having to kick the ball out to open teammates when defenses collapse on him.
No Rest for the Tanking
Next up on the Sixers' schedule are the Brooklyn Nets, coming to visit Philadelphia. The Sixers, like every team in the league, struggle in the second game of back-to-backs. However, the Sixers' dropoff seems more pronounced, considering how they struggle to score points in general. Philadelphia has just a 45.0 effective field goal percentage in the second of two games in a row. With a day rest, it jumps to 48.6 eFG%, and jumps again to 50.2 with two days between games.
Brooklyn, meanwhile, has won three straight, led by resurgent point guard Deron Williams. Thanks mostly to the 11 threes he hit against Washington on Friday, Williams has a 60.2 effective field goal percentage in that streak. He's looked a lot more like a guy deserving of a $100 million contract compared to earlier in the season, but will have to keep his shooting stroke consistent for the Nets to make any real noise in the playoffs.
