Philadelphia 76ers 2022-2023 Midseason Grades

The Philadelphia 76ers have reached the halfway mark of the 2022-2023 NBA season.

Following their Thursday night loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Sixers reached the 41st game of the year with a 25-16 record. As it stands, the Sixers are fifth in the Eastern Conference, trailing the Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks, Brooklyn Nets, and Boston Celtics.

As a whole, the Sixers should be satisfied with where they’re at, considering the setbacks they’ve dealt with throughout the first stretch of the year. Per usual, Philadelphia had to battle through a notable amount of setbacks to several of their key players.

Yet, the Sixers managed to stay relevant in the East. So, by the time their key players returned to the floor, Philadelphia wasn’t involved in a game of catch-up.

Overall, the Sixers would probably grade out as a “B” through the first half of the season. Not only are they clear playoff contenders, but they bounced back after a slow start and won games when the odds were really stacked against them.

Now, how did each individual player grade out throughout the first half of the season?

Grading the Roster

Paul Reed: C+

Doc Rivers wasn’t kidding when he said that the Sixers’ rotation, especially the backup center position, will consistently change. First, Paul Reed wasn’t really playing. Then, he was the backup center for a stretch. Eventually, Reed was back on the bench. Now, over the last few games, he’s averaged 16 minutes on the floor. Reed is far from a finished product, but the young center has shown some growth in year three. Limiting fouls and finding consistency on offense will be key for Reed. He hasn’t quite done that just yet.

Montrezl Harrell: C+

Harrell lands in the same position as Reed. In the rotation, out of it, back in it again. Rivers claims that neither player has convinced the coaching staff that one guy should be Joel Embiid’s primary backup, which is understandable. Where Reed struggles offensively, Harrell has shown he can thrive. When Harrell struggles on defense and in the rebounding department, Reed tends to pick up the slack. Eventually, somebody’s got to win the backup center spot, but both Harrell and Reed grade out pretty even so far.

Jaden Springer: N/A

It wouldn’t be fair to give Springer a complete grade considering he’s a sophomore guard on a win-now roster. And I’m not going to judge Springer based on what he’s shown in the G League because that’s an entirely different world. The good news is that when Springer was offered some actual playing time recently (eight minutes), he was 4-4 from the field, scoring ten points while making plays on defense. That’s not nearly enough time to give him a fair grade, though.

Furkan Korkmaz: D

After signing a multi-year deal with the Sixers two summers ago, Korkmaz is out of Philly’s rotation. In 23 games, Korkmaz has attempted just 35 three-pointers, hitting on 34 percent of them. It’s a much smaller sample size compared to the last three seasons, but Korkmaz didn’t do himself any favors last season when he knocked down just 29 percent of his 266 threes last year.

Danuel House Jr.: F

After getting a slap on the wrist for tampering to land Danuel House Jr. in free agency over the offseason, the Sixers are currently struggling to keep House in a consistent role coming off the bench. Losing a second-round pick to sign a benched veteran on a two-year deal that’s worth over $8 million is a tough spot to be in. There’s hope that House’s veteran experience will help down the stretch, but the first half of the season hasn’t been ideal.

Matisse Thybulle: C+

It’s really the same story with Matisse Thybulle as it’s been over the last couple of seasons. Defensively, Thybulle is a menace. Offensively, there’s still work that needs to be done. While I think the three-point shot conversation is a tad bit overrated, it is necessary to note that Thybulle’s averaging just 32 percent (on par with his career average) from three after his teammates claimed they saw a much-improved shooter in the offseason. The fact is the Sixers are a better team with Thybulle in the rotation because he’s a boost on defense. The Sixers’ success on both sides of the ball starts on defense. You get where I’m going with this, right?

Shake Milton: B

Initially a victim of Doc Rivers’ rotation shrink, Shake Milton was offered an opportunity to start for a stretch and earned himself a consistent role in Philadelphia’s rotation. The potential for Milton to be a critical piece off the bench was always there. Unfortunately, injuries affected his progress at times over the last couple of seasons. With good health throughout the first stretch of the season, Milton is solidifying his spot off the bench, averaging ten points and four assists while shooting a career-high of 51 percent from the field in 37 games.

Georges Niang: A

To quote Sixers star James Harden regarding Niang: “If he’s not shooting, then he shouldn’t be on the floor." Isn’t that the truth? Niang is the Sixers’ sharpshooter off the bench, but he’s been thrown in some critical situations with the team’s starters down the stretch and offered Philly a much-needed boost at times. Niang was brought to Philly to knock down threes. He’s averaging 42 percent on six attempts per game.

De’Anthony Melton: A

Melton is by far the Sixers’ best new addition. As Philadelphia had a desperate need for reliable two-way players going into the 2022-2023 NBA season, Melton has lived up to expectations. Taking roughly six threes per game, Melton is averaging 40 percent from beyond the arc. Defensively, he’s been a pest. Melton is averaging steals on 2.8 percent of plays, ranking in the 99th percentile, according to Cleaning the Glass.

PJ Tucker: C+

So, the Sixers probably overpaid the 37-year-old veteran forward, but that’s the kind of thing you do when there’s a market demand for a player with champion experience who just helped beat your team in the playoffs and caused the team’s star player to publicly beg the front office to do what they can to go out and sign that guy. If you stare at stat sheets all day, Tucker was never one to shine on paper, and that remains the case this season. Defensively, Tucker’s been helpful for the Sixers at times when they really needed him. Offensively, he’s been disappointing. Again, Tucker isn’t expected to be a high-volume scorer for Philadelphia, but with Miami last season, his effective field goal percentage was 58. This season, that number’s down to 51 percent. Tucker’s three-point percentage also took a slight dip from 41 percent to 37 percent. I have to note that health has been a concern for Tucker. Perhaps, Tucker will change the narrative when he’s healthier and in the postseason.

Tobias Harris: B

The veteran forward deserves a lot of credit for adjusting his role constantly on the Sixers while battling trade rumors surrounding him. Harris might drop in the Sixers’ scoring pecking order when the team’s fully healthy, but at least he’s embraced being a high-volume catch-and-shoot three-point scorer. This season, Harris is taking five threes per game and knocking down 38 percent of them.

Tyrese Maxey: B-

Pre-injury, Tyrese Maxey was really good. The young guard was putting up 23 points per game while hitting on 42 percent of his threes. Unfortunately, a fractured foot sidelined him for 18 games. Since returning, Maxey’s averaged 17 points while draining 31 percent of his threes. It’s clear he’s still finding his footing since going down with an injury, but Maxey raised the bar high for himself. It will be interesting to see how he works his way back after dealing with the first notable injury of his career.

Joel Embiid: A

Another MVP campaign for the big man this season. Why not an A-plus, then? Well, two reasons. One, Embiid’s missed consecutive games on three different occasions. In total, he’s been available for 30 of Philadelphia’s first 41 games. Two, Embiid’s effort in certain areas (rebounding, defense) at times has been questionable. When the switch is flipped on, he’s a force. When it’s off — he’s, well — off. All in all, the short-list of concerns isn’t a huge deal in the first half of the regular season. The big man is playing the long game, and playoffs are what matters the most.

James Harden: A

It turns out that saying James Harden is no longer the Houston version of himself is not an insult. The days of averaging over 30 points per game are gone, but Harden is thriving in other areas. Through 26 games, Harden has dished out 11.2 assists per game, tying his career-high. According to Cleaning the Glass, Harden’s assisted on 45 percent of the Sixers’ made shots, ranking at the top of the league. While thriving as a playmaker, Harden is still getting his points as well. This season, he’s put up 22 points per game. From three, Harden has hit on 38 percent of his shots. He’s also been impressive in the mid-range, hitting on 44 percent of his shots, up 11 percent from last season.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.