The Philadelphia 76ers have had injuries at center this year, but the production is still there.  23-year old Spencer Hawes got off to a good start this year, but he has missed quite a bit of time due to an achilles  injury.  Hawes has played in 12 games (all starts) for the 76ers so far this year and he is averaging 26.9 minutes, 10.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.7 blocked shots per game.  Hawes is shooting an amazing 58.8% from the floor so far this year.  The Sixers hope to get him back in action soon.  21-year old rookie Nikola Vucevic also has missed some P.T. due to injury, but he’s back now.  He has played in 14 games (3 starts) for the 76ers so far this year and he is averaging 14.6 minutes, 4.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game on 52.5% shooting from the floor.  The Sixers made a solid selection last June when they took Vucevic in the first round as he is going to be a starter down the road for the Sixers.  35-year old Tony Battie had to step up and make some starts when Hawes and Vucevic were out of action for the Sixers.  He has played in 16 games (8 starts) for the 76ers so far this year and he is averaging 11.6 minutes, 2.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.  The Sixers hope their centers get healthy because they are getting good production out of them so far this year.

21-year old point guard Jrue Holiday is still improving as a basketball player for the 76ers.  He has played in 20 games (all starts) for the Sixers so far this year and he is averaging 35.8 minutes, 14.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game.  His scoring and steals are up this year, while his rebounding and assists are a little down.  That all doesn’t matter much right now as the 76ers are having an outstanding season.  Holiday has now played in 175 games (153 starts) in his first three years with the Sixers and he is averaging 30.8 minutes, 11.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game.  The Sixers have to be pleased with Holiday’s continued improvement and they hope he keeps up the good work.

The 76ers win by playing team basketball and they are getting outstanding work from Lou Williams (the Sixers’ leading scorer), Thaddeus Young and Evan Turner off the bench so far this year.  Lou Williams has played in 18 games (0 starts) for the 76ers so far this year and he is averaging 25.2 minutes, 15.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.  Forward Thaddeus Young was re-signed in the off-season as a restricted free agent and he is playing well this year.  Young has played in 18 games (0 starts) for the 76ers so far this year and he is averaging 27.1 minutes, 12.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.4 steals per game so far this year.  23-year old shooting guard Evan Turner has really improved so far this year for the 76ers.  He has played in 17 games (0 starts) for the Sixers so far this year and he is averaging 26.5 minutes, 10.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.  This trio of players are a big reason for the Sixers’ success so far this year, so they need them to keep up the good work.

27-year old small forward Andre Iguodala is finally looking healthy this year after playing the last couple of years injured.  He has played in 5 games (all starts) for the 76ers so far this year and he is averaging 33.2 minutes, 14.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocked shots per game.  He is also shooting a red hot 54.5% from three point range as he has nailed 12 of 22 shots from beyond the arc.  Very few small forwards fill up the stat sheet like Iguodala does as he plays well on both ends of the court.

23-year old center Spencer Hawes is off to a blazing start to the 2011-12 season for the 76ers.  He has played in 2 games (both starts) for the 76ers so far this year and he is averaging 32.5 minutes, 9.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.5 blocked shots per game.  Hawes is a good team player and that is what head coach Doug Collins really likes about him.  Not many centers can pass like Hawes can and he is shooting 56.3% from the floor as he is making good decisions with the basketball.  His new found toughness under the basket has really helped out the Sixers as a whole.  The 76ers hope that Hawes can keep up the good work.

32-year old power forward Elton Brand had a huge bounceback year for the Sixers in 2010-11.  Brand played in 81 games (all starts) for the Sixers in 2010-11 and he averaged 34.7 minutes, 15.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.3 blocked shots per game.  He has now played in 800 games (770 starts) in his first 12 years in the NBA and he is averaging 36.9 minutes, 18.8 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.9 blocked shots per game.  The Sixers hope that he has a few more good years in him.

59-year old head coach Doug Collins did an outstanding job as the head coach of the Sixers.  He took over a team that was 27-55 (32.9%) during the 2009-2010 season and he turned them into a playoff team.  The 76ers were 41-41 (50%) during the regular season last year and they were 1-4 (20%) against the Heat in the playoffs.  Collins now has a career record of 373-328 (53.2%) during the regular season and he is 16-27 (37.2%) in the playoffs.  The Sixers are excited to have Collins on the bench and they hope he leads them back to the playoffs in 2011-12.

20-year old point guard Jrue Holiday really stepped up for the Sixers last year.  He played in 82 games (all starts) for the 76ers last year and he averaged 35.4 minutes, 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game.  Holiday looked for his own shot a little bit more while still passing the ball better to keep his teammates involved in the offense.  Holiday has played in 155 games (133 starts) in his first two years with the Sixers and he is averaging 30.1 minutes, 11.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game.  Holiday is going to be a very key part of the Sixers’ success in the future as he hasn’t reached his full potential yet.

20-year old point guard Jrue Holiday is getting really hot for the Sixers as of late.  In his last five games, Holiday is averaging 38.8 minutes, 19.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 8.4 assists per game.  He is shooting a stunning 52.1% from the floor in those five games.  He has now played in 77 games (all starts) for the Sixers so far this year and he is averaging 35.3 minutes, 13.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.4  assists and 1.5 steals per game.  Holiday has really improved in his second year in the NBA, and he’s playing his best basketball right now which is good with the playoffs right around the corner.

27-year old small forward Andre Iguodala really has played pretty well for the Sixers so far in March.  He has played in 10 games for the 76ers so far this month and he is averaging 36.1 minutes, 15.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game.  Iguodala is also shooting 42.4%  from three point range so far this month and he has two triple-doubles in March.  Iguodala has now played in 57 games (all starts) in which he is averaging 36.8 minutes, 14.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.6 steals per game.  Iguodala, like the rest of the Sixers, have bought into Doug Collins’ team approach to basketball which will likely get them to the playoffs this year.