Somehow, when you think the strangest thing has already happened, each week seems to get weirder for the Sixers.

They crushed the Wizards, got crushed by the Wizards, lost a heartbreaker to the Hawks and barely escaped New York with a win. Their defense — or lack thereof — was the biggest culprit for the team’s 2-2 week.

Here’s this week's Sixers stock watch.

Stock up

Ben Simmons

Simmons continues to be featured here and for good reason. He’s stepped his game up every week this season. Other than the loss in D.C., Simmons had a phenomenal week.

Ben Simmons Maillot,He averaged a triple-double over the last four games with 18.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 10.3 assists. It was highlighted by his 20-point, 22-rebound, nine-assist performance against the Knicks. He was the first Sixer to achieve that stat line since Charles Barkley in 1987. At some point, this dude is going to average a triple-double for a season.

Simmons took and made a few fadeaway jumpers as well this week. None was prettier this 11-footer — though it looked longer than that — Sunday.

He still continues to struggle from the line, hitting just 5 of 15 free throws over the last four.

Stock down

Wilson Chandler

When the Sixers acquired Chandler, it seemed like a fantastic move. Chandler was a solid contributor in New York and Denver. He was strong and versatile defensively. He was always able to score, creating his own shot and hitting open looks.

Unfortunately, that version of Chandler has only been seen flashes — the Christmas day game against the Celtics stands out. All of Chandler’s skills were on full display in Boston. While he’s been OK defensively, he’s really struggled offensively. This week he averaged 4.8 points and shot 27 percent from the field.

It’s fair to note that Chandler has had health issues all season. It started with a hamstring strain, then a quad injury followed by an upper-respiratory infection. To his credit, he's never used it as an excuse and he's continued to play hard.

Chandler is 31, which isn’t young, but certainly isn’t old by NBA standards. Given his track record, it’s fair to think — and hope — Chandler’s issues are related to health and that he may still return to form.

Furkan Korkmaz

It was a brutal week for Korkmaz. While he put up 16 points in each of the games against the Wizards, his defensive woes were troubling.

The biggest examples were in his game against the Hawks. He played just four minutes that night because of defensive miscues. He allowed Jeremy Lin to blow by him in the first half and was pulled. He then allowed Kevin Huerter to go backdoor for an easy lob in the second half and was pulled again.

At this point, Korkmaz is a huge liability on the defensive end of the floor. He’s flashed offensive potential at times, but if he’s not hitting shots, he’s a negative for the Sixers. Then again, you could probably say that about more than one of the team’s reserves.

Recherches associées à Nba Nouvelles: nbamaillotmagasin.com Nba Nouvelles