The Sixers are the new hotness, have you heard? After getting a solid win over the Pistons in their home opener on Friday night and then beating the crap out of Toronto on Saturday night, Doug Collins' squad moved to 5-2 on the season and are the talk of many NBA circles around the Internet. Other teams in the East may have more wins -- Chicago, Miami, Atlanta, Orlando, for instance; or tonight's formidable opponent the Pacers -- but none of them are as efficient as the Sixers.
Nobody in the NBA is for that matter.
Right at the center of all of that amazing efficient play is Spencer Hawes. Yes, Spencer Hawes. The same guy who was used as a punchline (guilty) much of last season.
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So how well has Hawes played after the first seven games of the season? Take a look at these numbers.
First, according to John Hollinger's Player Efficiency Rating, Hawes is the 13th most efficient player in the NBA, just a rebound or bicep curl behind the almighty Dwight Howard. (Nik Vucevic is No. 3 overall (!) behind only LeBron and Manu Ginobili)
But wait, Dave Berri of Wages of Wins Journal puts the numbers into context:
...we see that Hawes is above average with respect to shooting efficiency from the field, rebounds, assists, turnovers, blocked shots, and personal fouls. Hawes is below average at the free throw line (both in terms of getting to the line and efficiency). But his positives add up to a level of production nearly four times beyond the average NBA center.
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Emphasis ours. "A level of productivity nearly four times beyond the average NBA center." How about that? From SPENCER HAWES.
Obviously, it will be tough for Spencer and the entire Sixers squad to keep up their incredibly efficient play when the schedule sees back-to-back-to-backs like this week and then later when they see tougher teams like Denver, Atlanta, and Miami later this month.
But for the time being, let the "Spence-er! Hawes!" chants rain down at the Wells Fargo Center. He's earning them.
>>The best team in the NBA is... The Sixers?? [Wages of Wins Journal]
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If you missed this weekend's action, here's what Andrew had to say about Spencer's fantastic showing in the home opener:
Again, Spencer Hawes was the best player on the court for the Sixers for most of the game. Spence notched his fourth double-double of the season—he had six all last year—with a 16-14 line that saw him scoring just about every way possible from inside the arc. After one long jumper, he even earned a "SPEN-CER HAW-WES!!!" chant from the fans, certainly a Wells Fargo Center first. He didn't score a single other point after that—though he just missed a three that would have absolutely brought the house down—but it was fantastic to see his impossibly improved play in person at the WFC, and I was proud of our fanbase for acknowledging him accordingly.
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One of the keys to Hawes' breakout start? How about working out with Shawn Kemp during the offseason?
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And here's Spencer on Lunch Break today talking about his hot start, the status of his back injury, as well as reacting to the crowd's love for him on Friday night.