By Ian Levy

Nylon Calculus, brought to you by The Step Back

The Philadelphia 76ers have clearly turned the corner. They currently sit at 12-8 and appear ready to finish above .500 for the first time in five seasons. It has been youth leading the charge for the reinvigorated franchise with Robert Covington, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons each standing out in their own ways.

For the 297 minutes that Covington, Embiid and Simmons have been on the floor together, the 76ers have outscored opponents by an average of 16.0 points per 100 possessions. In those minutes, the team has had an offensive rating that would rank as the second-best in the league across the entire season and a defense that would lead the NBA by a healthy margin. As one more point of comparison, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green have played 313 minutes together and the Warriors are +18.2 in those minutes.

The 76ers trio is talented and versatile, capable of transforming the rest of the supporting cast into a legitimate contender, if not now then in the near future. With Markelle Fultz hopefully on the mend, the Philadelphia 76ers have what they waited for through all their recent lean years. Each member of the group has distinct strengths and what makes them so special is they way they complement each other.

Covington’s Effectiveness

Covington has gotten the least attention of the three but the Sixers valued him enough to offer him a four-year extension earlier this month. As a traditional 3-and-D wing, Covington’s skill set is not exactly unique, but his effectiveness certainly is. Covington has made 42.5 percent of his 3-pointers on the season, including 41.4 percent of his 7.0 catch-and-shoot attempts per game.

Covington pairs that strong outside shot with suffocating defense. He has the footspeed and frame to defend both big and small wings. He’s currently fourth in the league in deflections per game, at 3.5. He doesn’t create much offense for himself off the dribble but his shooting helps space the middle of the floor for Simmons and Embiid and his defensive versatility means that Philadelphia can be creative with lineups and orientations without sacrificing matchups at one end of the floor.

Simmons’ Playmaking

What Simmons brings to the table is his playmaking -- he’s 6-foot-10 but is currently leads the team with 7.2 assists per game. From the power forward position, he is the initiator of the team’s offense, leading Philadelphia in touches and time of possession. It’s the worst-kept secret in the league that Simmons is a reluctant and generally unreliable outside shooter but his size, creation and passing ability means he’s still able to exploit mismatches and make a large positive impact on the offensive end.

31 PTS. 18 REBS.



Ben Simmons is the first rookie with that many PTS & REBS in a game since Shaquille O'Neal in 1993.



(via @EliasSports) pic.twitter.com/W3p9OT0gcA — NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) November 30, 2017

Embiid’s Versatility

Embiid is perhaps the most versatile of the three, offering a unique blend of talents for a player his size. He’s a strong rim protector -- opposing players have made just 47.5 percent of their shots inside of six feet when Embiid is the closest defender, the third-best mark in the league among the 30 players who are challenging at least 5.0 interior shots per game. On offense, he’s a willing 3-point shooter, even if the accuracy is lagging at just 25.5 percent right now.

Embiid’s biggest strengths as a scorer are inside the paint. He’s in the 65th percentile as a post-up scorer, averaging 0.94 points per possession. Overall, 48.6 percent of his made field goals are unassisted, a rate that’s comparable to Andrew Wiggins or Bradley Beal. His true shooting percentage is 57.3 percent, about the same as DeMarcus Cousins or CJ McCollum.

More Embiid:



First player in @NBAHistory to ever record 46 PTS, 15 REB, 7 AST & 7 BLK in a single game (@EliasSports). pic.twitter.com/QAKromMS3G — NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) November 16, 2017

Simmons and Embiid are unique in that they move traditional guard roles -- facilitation and shot creation -- into the frontcourt. With Covington’s shooting helps ensure that there’s plenty of space for them to work and buoys their efficiency with the added value of 3-point shots. On defense they have immense potential and the same kind of versatility to adjust to all sorts of matchups.

The 76ers are far from a finished product but in Simmons, Embiid and Covington, they have a core they can trust to keep moving them closer to their ultimate goal of championship contention.