Brett Brown is closing in on the end of his second season as the Sixers' head coach.
With 21 games remaining, Brown's team looks different from the one that took the court on opening night. Things are bound to change even more before Brown opens up his third season at the helm.
Here is the first of a three-part series on the intriguing storylines to pay attention to as the regular season winds down:
Watching where the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder (all teams whose first-round picks now belong to Sixers) finish in the standings will likely be more interesting than any actual Sixers game on a given night.
There is the potential for the Sixers to have four first-round picks in June and seeing how many come to fruition is worthy of one's attention.
Currently, the Sixers have the second-worst record in the NBA. Only the New York Knicks have a lower winning percentage. The Sixers have a number of matchups remaining against fellow lottery-bound teams.
They face the Utah Jazz on Friday. The Sixers also battle the New York Knicks, Sacramento Kings and Lakers twice each down the stretch of the schedule.
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Of the Sixers' remaining slate, they have 12 home games — starting with the opening of a five-game homestand Friday — and nine road games. Clearly, they've been better at home, winning five of their last eight at the Wells Fargo Center.
Things have been the complete opposite on the road, where the Sixers have dropped 13 in a row.
Overall, the Sixers have the 29th-ranked schedule in the league remaining, according to PlayoffStatus.com.
As for the other key teams in the equation, the Thunder have the sixth-toughest remaining schedule. The Heat have the 15th-toughest slate left, while the Lakers have the 23rd.
With everyone jockeying for position in the playoffs or the lottery, it's going to be interesting to see how things shake out down the stretch.