The most impressive number the Sixers have put up this season?
Twenty-four. As in 24 years old, an age that neither Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid nor Dario Saric had reached until Embiid got there on March 16. Saric will join him when he celebrates his 24th birthday on April 8. But for record-keeping purposes, this counts as their 23-year-old season, which makes the Sixers’ trio of rising stars a historic anomaly.
That they are on the court as often as they have been is a rare enough thing. Heading into this season, since the introduction of the three-point line in 1979-80, only four teams in the NBA had finished a year with three first- or second-year players under the age of 24 averaging 30-plus minutes per game.