Sixers are 10-3 with a bottom-10 offense, and that’s fine

The Sixers beat the Toronto Raptors 123-112 on Thursday night to improve to 10-3. That puts them second in the East, right behind the 10-2 Celtics. What makes it even more impressive is that they’re doing it with the league’s 22nd-ranked offensive rating.

Is that bad? Yes. Should we be worried? Maybe after Christmas, but this team has arguably five stars in the starting lineup (yes, VJ counts), and they’ve never played together before. It’s week five. Anyone who expected this group to click right away was kidding themselves.

Nobody’s better in crunch time

Here’s the good news: when games are close late, the Sixers don’t lose. They’re 8-0 in clutch games. In those minutes, they rank fourth in the league in offensive rating and fourth in three-point percentage. Whatever’s wrong with this offense for the first 43 minutes disappears when the game is on the line.

That’s not nothing. Closing out tight games is the most valuable thing a team can do, especially in the playoffs.

Everything else? Not great

The rest of the numbers are rough. The Sixers are 29th in offensive rebounding percentage, 27th in effective field-goal percentage and 20th in three-point percentage.

So why is a team full of stars struggling to score? The obvious reason is because they’re still learning each other. It would be great if they all walked on the floor, dropped 25 apiece and lived happily ever after, but that’s not how it works. Even great players have to figure out how their teammates play and what their own role is on a brand-new team.

The good news is you can see the chemistry building, especially late in games. And the vibes in that locker room might be the best they’ve been in years.

Somebody has to be that guy for the Sixers

The other problem is that the offense is too passive. Literally. These guys pass too much, with stars giving up open looks to get the ball to other stars.

It makes sense. Ever since the Sixers landed Jaylen Brown and LeBron James, the biggest question has been who controls the offense. Now nobody in the starting five wants to be the guy who looks like he’s hogging it.

Someone has to be that guy and the most obvious choice is Tyrese Maxey.

People on social media keep complaining that Nick Nurse runs too much through Maxey. Why? He’s this team’s leader. He’s gotten better every single year, finished fifth in the league in scoring last season and is sixth right now.

Maxey led the Sixers with 27 points on Thursday.

Rese just doing his thing 👊

27 PTS | 8 AST | 2 STL @PALottery pic.twitter.com/8EJs5hGHE8

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 13, 2026

Name any good team in the league, and you can probably name its go-to guy in two seconds. The Sixers should be no different. On a night when Maxey doesn’t have it, sure, lean on Brown more. But overall, why wouldn’t you put the ball in the hands of one of the best and most explosive offensive players in the league?

Hey, it’s only November..

If this were game 70, or the Sixers were 3-10, this would be a very different, very angry article. They’re not, and it’s not.

Remember, defense was supposed to be this team’s weakness. Instead, the Sixers rank eighth in defensive rating. The bench, another supposed problem, is coming alive too. Anfernee Simons had 17 on Thursday, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 11.

So the things this team was supposed to be bad at are good, and the thing it was supposed to be great at is just mediocre for now. Why wouldn’t they figure that out?

It’s early, and they’re winning games anyway. What more can you ask for?

Join The Chase