After an unexpected four-game winning streak, the 76ers slowly became a super dark horse! Only Embiid gradually became an outsider.

The NBA regular season has been open for more than a week. As in previous years, the situation in the east and west is chaotic, and many dark horses have emerged. The dark horse division in the Western Conference belongs to the Spurs. While Fox was still recovering from his injury, Bunyama led the team from five consecutive wins in the preseason to four consecutive wins in the regular season. They were only one game away from breaking the team's record for consecutive wins in the opening game. Wenbanyama's average of 31 points, 13.8 rebounds and 4.8 blocks per game is already exaggerated, but his intimidation has given the young people around him great room for improvement. Castle + Vassell + Harper all average more than 15 points per game, and their basics are very stable. As for the Eastern Conference, before the season, major American media generally believed that the Knicks and Cavaliers were at odds with each other, but the Heat + Bucks + Bulls all started strong.

But the most surprising team is the 76ers, who have won four consecutive games in the beginning and are ranked first in the Eastern Conference! Edgecombe, who was selected by the 76ers with the third overall pick this summer, averaged 22.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game. Together with Maxey, he averaged 37.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game, becoming the league's sharpest duo. The duo ranked first in the league in scoring per game! In addition, Grimes, who was forced to sign a qualifying offer during the offseason, formed the strongest wing combination with Oubre, both averaging 17.8 points per game. This four-person combination pushed the 76ers to third in the league in scoring average (129.3 points), ranked first in the league in three-point shooting percentage of 41.9%, and ranked third in the league with an average of 16.3 three-pointers per game! Another interesting point is that the 76ers only averaged 12.3 turnovers per game this season, the best level in the league!

Naturally, we have to start with the team boss Embiid. Embiid took the initiative to cancel the season last season, and complained through the media during the offseason, standing on the opposite side of the management and the team. However, Embiid came back earlier than expected and played in the preseason, but there was always a time limit: about 20 minutes, no back-to-back games. How did the 76ers win four consecutive games? This is interesting: in the opening game against the Celtics, Embiid played 20 minutes, scored 4 points on 1-of-9 shooting, and lost 16 points on the field. As a result, after Nurse abandoned him in the final quarter, the 76ers completed a 13-point reversal! In the second game against the Hornets, Embiid still only had 20 minutes of playing time and scored 20 points. Nurse spent most of his playing time in the first half, and Embiid became a spectator in the second half.

The 76ers successfully completed another major comeback in the final quarter! Embiid himself couldn't sit still and said that if he was replaced after playing for a few minutes, he might as well go home to spend time with his children. OK, you’re satisfied! In the third game against the Magic, Embiid took a truce. This time, the 76ers finally didn't have to fall behind at the start. Facing the Magic's super luxurious starting lineup: Suggs + Bane + Wagner Jr. + Benqueiro + Carter, the 76ers started winning points from the first quarter. They boiled the frog in warm water and defeated the Magic! In the fourth game against the Wizards, Embiid became more honest and his efficiency improved. He scored 25 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists in 23 minutes. However, when he was on the court, the team was still very passive. It doesn't matter, after Embiid was replaced in the final quarter, Maxi and Grimes led the team to tie the score and reverse it in overtime!

This is so embarrassing! As the boss of the team, he is treated like this: You can play if you want, you can just dig holes in the first half, and leave the fourth quarter to the young people to fill the holes. The advanced data makes it even more difficult for Embiid to escape: when Embiid starts the game, the 76ers' starting lineup loses their opponents by an average of 22.5 points (playing more than 10 minutes); when Embiid and Edgecombe + Maxey are on the court at the same time, the 76ers lose their opponents by 22.3 points per 100 rounds. When Embiid and Maxey + Edgecombe + Oubre + Barlow are on the court at the same time, the 76ers lose their opponents by an average of 14.7 points! The team's On-Off value doesn't lie. When Embiid is on the court this season, the team loses to its opponents by an average of 6.7 points per 100 possessions; when he is absent, the team outscores its opponents by 12.2 points per 100 possessions, and its On-Off value is -18.9.

How big is the gap? Just to give an example, last season's championship Thunder, the team's net efficiency in the regular season was +12.6. The 76ers without Embiid were roughly equivalent to the level of the Thunder last season. It is a surprise that the 76ers can perform like this, because the team selected Edgecombe from the offseason, including only being willing to give Grimes a qualified offer, and McCain's thumb injury will prevent him from playing for a long time. The outside world expects them to be a rebuilding team. If they want to increase the ceiling, they can only hope that Embiid returns and George recovers. It's good now that George doesn't have to come back. It stands to reason that Grimes's outstanding performance definitely deserves a starting position, as well as Oubre + the super double star in the backcourt.

Although it is only a few games and the sample is too small, as a team, we must continue to win in order to train young people and build self-confidence. Maxey was supported by Harden in the past few years and has made rapid progress; Edgcomb is seamlessly connected, and coupled with Grimes, who vows to play his worth, the entire 76ers team has very strong cohesion. As for Embiid's position, Nurse has already given the answer. The young second-round picks Bona and Barlow can both play the fifth position. The on-off values ​​of these two people are +15.7 and +3.7 respectively. There is also Drummond, a rebounding idiot, who really doesn't need Embiid. As for Embiid's future, the management can figure it out on its own. He has become an outsider.