The Sixers may have gotten blown out at home by the lackluster Pistons, but they got something far more important than a meaningless regular-season win tonight: they discovered a heretofore undiscovered part of their CORE. That CORE piece that has recently been unearthed? Nik Stauskas. CORE. HARD CORE.
Previously, their CORE consisted of these constituent parts: Joel Embiid, Dario Saric, and Nerlens Noel. Maybe add Ben Simmons, but I don’t think players who haven’t played yet are eligible to part of CORE. Sadly, Noel is gone now. Philly, in a daring departure from traditional contender-building, traded a CORE piece for NON-CORE items. Remember to check the trade screen twice before you hit the “accept” button, everybody. Scammers are out there, and they want to get your valuable goods for 2nd rounders and garbage throw-ins.
Anyway, it doesn’t even matter that Noel is gone now because they found a new third CORE piece in Nik Stauskas tonight. He scored 24 points, a career-high, and he showcased that he’s not just a jump-shooter. He’s a dunker as well! Such a varied skillset can only indicate one thing: CORE-ness is an integral part of Stauskas’ identity as a Sixer.