During the Sixers’ 16 game sprint toward the third seed in the 2017-2018 Eastern Conference standings, Philadelphia played fast, shot in volume and converted long-range attempts at high percentages. Aside from the January 2017 emergence of Embiid, Covington, McConnell and company, few stretches offered greater signs of progress for a team grasping at its first winning season in five years.
Unlike the January 2017 breakout run, progress did not present itself in the form of an emerging offensive identity or attention-grabbing individual performances (think T.J.’s buzzer beater against the Knicks and Covington’s late-game heroics against Portland).