Keeping Score: Statistical Look at the 76ers' Drop-Off The Philadelphia 76ers were one of the surprise stories of the 2011-12 season. They started off hot, winning 18 of their first 25 games, and ended the season by pushing the Boston Celtics to seven games in the Eastern Conference semifinals. But after an off-season of questionable roster moves, the Sixers have been all but eliminated from this season's playoffs. They are six games behind the eighth-seeded Milwaukee Bucks with eight games remaining. Based on win shares - a statistic that estimates the number of wins a player contributes to his team through his offense and defense - four of Philadelphia's top six players last season were no longer with the team by the end of last summer: Andre Iguodala (traded to the Denver Nuggets), Louis Williams (signed as a free agent by the Atlanta Hawks), Elton Brand (waived and signed by the Dallas Mavericks) and Jodie Meeks (signed as a free agent by the Los Angeles Lakers). The primary asset that the Sixers acquired in the Iguodala trade was Andrew Bynum, the 24-year-old All-Star center for the Lakers. But that acquisition was a big risk for two reasons. First, Bynum was set to become a free agent after the 2012-13 season, so there was no guarantee he would be in a Philadelphia uniform for more than a season. Second, there were serious concerns about his knees, enough that the Orlando Magic balked at acquiring him even though they were going to give up an All-Star center, Dwight Howard, in the trade. As it turns out, those concerns were well founded. Bynum was treated in the preseason for pain caused by the arthritis in his knees. During his recovery, he developed a bone bruise in his right knee, then injured his left while bowling. Finally, on March 19, the team announced that Bynum would have arthroscopic surgery on both knees. His season was over before it began. Another issue for the Sixers has been the development of Evan Turner, the second overall pick in the 2010 N.B.A. draft. On the surface Turner appears to be having a decent season, with averages of 13.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. But he has played a lot of minutes to get those numbers - his average of 35.6 minutes per game is second on the team - and been extremely inefficient in those minutes. True shooting percentage is a measure of scoring efficiency that takes into account 2-point shots, 3-point shots, and free throws. Among players who have played at least 2,000 minutes, Turner's true shooting percentage of .482 is second worst in the N.B.A. And unfortunately for the Sixers, this season is not an outlier, as Turner's true shooting percentage was just .478 last season and .484 two seasons ago, his rookie year. At the end of November the Sixers were 10-6, the eighth best winning percentage in the N.B.A., but since then the Sixers are 20-38, the league's sixth worst winning percentage. What started as a season of promise has turned into a nightmare, leaving Philadelphia fans to ask, "What if?" Justin Kubatko is the creator of Basketball-Reference.com, an online basketball encyclopedia.