10 NBA small sample size overreactions to lose your mind over

1. The Sixers are in trouble 

Saying the Sixers are in trouble might sound like an overreaction, even for an overreaction piece, after they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks by only one point, but a lot of things had to go their way for it to be that close. While Sixers fans will point to the missed free throws and Joel Embiid’s poor performance as reasons why nothing in the world went their way, they’d casually be leaving out incredible 3-point shooting, Milwaukee’s own pitiful free throw shooting, and Giannis Antetokounmpo's poor showing. 

It has become increasingly rare for teams to lose when they have the 3-point shooting advantage, and the Sixers hit 45.7 percent of their 35 3-pointers, compared to the Bucks converting 36.7 percent of their 30. If it wasn’t for incredible 3-point shooting, this game could have been a blowout. The Sixers may end up being an exceptional 3-point shooting team, but they’re not going to push 45 percent consistently. 

The Sixers also got incredible performances from Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre Jr. While Maxey scoring an efficient 31 points isn’t all that surprising, Oubre going 9-of-11 from the field for 27 points is. Even Tobias Harris was sublime, going eight of nine from the field for 20. The trio of Maxey, Oubre, and Harris combined for 78 points on 27-of-42 shooting and 13-of-16 from the free-throw line. 

The Sixers wasted a chance to beat the Bucks. They got the 3-point shooting they needed, the support from their crucial role players, and got what will likely be Giannis’ worst game of the season. It was the perfect recipe to steal a game and prove they don’t miss James Harden. In the future, Embiid will be better, but everything else won’t. Frankly, this looks like a mediocre team.