The 76ers have been a top-24 team since the start of December
Less than a year on the job, and New York Knicks president Phil Jackson is already showing up his more experienced fellow NBA front-office exec Sam Hinkie.
Hinkie took over as the Philadelphia 76ers president and general manager in 2013, immediately began a full-scale tear-down that was virtually unprecedented in its transparency, and was thereafter anointed the NBA's crown prince of tanking.
But it's a title Hinkie has proven unworthy of. The man can't seem to stay out of his own way, and despite his best efforts, he's currently trotting out a semi-competent team.
No, seriously. Since Dec. 1, the day the 76ers lost their 17th straight game to start the season, they own the league's 24th-best record, outperforming last year's two Eastern Conference finalists (and beating them both!) while winning five more games than the Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves combined.
| Team | Ranking since Dec. 1 | W-L | W% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia 76ers | 24 | 7 - 12 | 36.8 |
| Indiana Pacers | 25 | 8 - 14 | 36.4 |
| Sacramento Kings | 26 | 6 - 13 | 31.6 |
| Miami Heat | 27 | 6 - 13 | 31.6 |
| Orlando Magic | 28 | 6 - 15 | 28.6 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 29 | 1 - 19 | 5 |
| New York Knicks | 30 | 1 - 21 | 4.5 |
You can dig a little deeper, and find that the Sixers still have the league's third-worst net rating in that span at minus-10.1, that they've lost games by 36 and 40 points, and that their offensive rating has been the worst in the league by almost seven points per 100 possessions.
Or you can focus on the currency of wins over losses - plus the Sixers' 10th-ranked defense during this stretch - and surmise that Hinkie has seriously miscalculated the talent on his roster. Guys like Tony Wroten and Henry Sims have dramatically outperformed expectations, K.J. McDaniels has looked like the steal of the draft, and Robert Covington may have been the D-League pickup of the decade.
While the Knicks have gained the inside track on the Jahlil Okafor sweepstakes with an $80-million roster, the Sixers are falling off the pace despite carrying half the payroll.
Take notes, Hinkie. Dr. Phil is schooling you.