In contrast to The Process’ undefined increments of progress that led to a great deal of criticism, one tangible initiative emerged last season: Brett Brown wants to have a top-15 defense.
The Sixers fell just short of that goal last year, ranking 17th in defensive rating, though this mark inspires no unified narrative. The revolving door of personnel, limited availability of Joel Embiid and new roster additions skew the data and tell us very little about what to expect for this upcoming season.
Yet despite the cloudy data and differences between this season and last — including the insertion of two rookies in the starting lineup — Brown’s target remains unchanged.