Philadelphia 76ers
2017-18What were the Philadelphia 76ers in 2017-18, and what needed front-office attention?
PHI 2017-18: no supported structural problem was identified. The strongest covered areas were Defensive event creation, Creation, Rim protection. The main rotation-player dependency cases were Joel Embiid, JJ Redick. Structural basketball need, injuries, replacement lineups, and financial constraints are reported separately.
What can be trusted
Supported strengths — production, who carries it, and what money is already committed.Full reading
PHI 2017-18 Defensive event creation: this was a team strength; production ranked at the 85.2 league percentile. Ben Simmons supplied 34.2% of the team's above-replacement production in this area. No governed recent game-level availability layer exists for this season. The team already committed substantial or redundant cap resources here.
Full reading
PHI 2017-18 Creation: this was a team strength, but much of it came from Ben Simmons. Ben Simmons supplied 41.0% of the team's above-replacement production in this area. No governed recent game-level availability layer exists for this season. Financial commitment is shown separately and does not determine basketball quality.
Full reading
PHI 2017-18 Rim protection: this was a team strength; production ranked at the 81.5 league percentile. Joel Embiid supplied 28.7% of the team's above-replacement production in this area. No governed recent game-level availability layer exists for this season. Financial commitment is shown separately and does not determine basketball quality.
What needs attention
The clearest roster problems the evidence supports.No supported roster problems are on record for this season — team picture available; recent availability layer unavailable.
Every covered basketball function (11)
| Function | Reading | League percentile | Largest contributor | Recent availability | Salary commitment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creation | SupportedTeam strength concentrated in one player | 82nd percentile | Ben Simmons · 41.0% | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
| Defensive event creation | SupportedTeam strength | 85th percentile | Ben Simmons · 34.2% | No recent availability layer for this season | Heavy or redundant salary already committed here |
| Interior finishing | SupportedMiddle of the league | 41st percentile | Joel Embiid · 26.1% | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
| Passing connectivity | SupportedTeam strength | 78th percentile | Ben Simmons · 38.0% | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
| Point-of-attack defense proxy | WithheldBasketball conclusion withheld | — | Amir Johnson | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
| Rebounding | SupportedMiddle of the league | 48th percentile | Ben Simmons · 36.9% | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
| Rim pressure | SupportedTeam strength | 78th percentile | Ben Simmons · 34.1% | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
| Rim protection | SupportedTeam strength | 82nd percentile | Joel Embiid · 28.7% | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
| Screening | WithheldBasketball conclusion withheld | — | Amir Johnson | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
| Shooting and spacing | SupportedMiddle of the league | 67th percentile | JJ Redick · 31.9% | No recent availability layer for this season | Heavy or redundant salary already committed here |
| Switch coverage proxy | WithheldBasketball conclusion withheld | — | Amir Johnson | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
Who the team depends on
What disappears when a player is removed — and whether an observed replacement five exists.
PHI was highly dependent on Joel Embiid. Removing him cost about 28.7% of rim protection production, and lineups with him performed 8.8 points per 100 possessions better than lineups without him. The best supported replacement group was [Amir Johnson, Marco Belinelli, Robert Covington, Dario Saric, Ben Simmons] over 253 possessions.
Replacement evidence
Amir Johnson · Marco Belinelli · Robert Covington · Dario Saric · Ben Simmons
shrunk net 9.467 over 253 possessions — small sample
on floor 4,015 possessions · off floor 4,084 possessions
PHI lineups performed 3.7 points per 100 possessions better with JJ Redick than without him. The best supported alternative was [Amir Johnson, Marco Belinelli, Robert Covington, Dario Saric, Ben Simmons] over 253 possessions.
Replacement evidence
Amir Johnson · Marco Belinelli · Robert Covington · Dario Saric · Ben Simmons
shrunk net 9.467 over 253 possessions — small sample
on floor 4,610 possessions · off floor 3,502 possessions
Function loss, lineup performance, and replacement-lineup evidence remain separate; none is causal player value.
What injuries change
Recent absences and the basketball needs they created or worsened.No governed recent game-level availability layer exists for this season.
Where money is tied up
Cap position and salary allocation — shown beside the basketball picture, never blended into it.Most salary is mapped to shooting and spacing; the highest-need area is interior finishing. Salary-to-function mapping covers 88% of charges.
Exact figures
Exact transaction legality withheld — no exception-usage, cap-hold, and transaction ledger evidence.
What the evidence cannot answer
Deliberate abstentions — where the database refuses a conclusion rather than guessing.- Point-of-attack defense proxy: Basketball conclusion withheld
- Screening: Basketball conclusion withheld
- Switch coverage proxy: Basketball conclusion withheld
Exact transaction legality: Exact transaction legality withheld — no exception-usage, cap-hold, and transaction ledger evidence
Team-season situation report. Structural basketball quality, recent availability, player dependence, replacement lineups, and financial position remain separate. No acquisition recommendation, transaction grade, coaching grade, outcome claim, or causal value is inferred.