DALLAS _ Joel Embiid has been praised for resurrecting the 76ers. That's completely understandable.
The Sixers rookie center has been a dominant force that some argue was snubbed as an NBA All-Star Game selection.
But what have been overlooked are the changes to the team's starting lineup and rotation, especially in the month of January. The Sixers are starting to get a reputation for being a team that's tough to beat. They are starting to make people talk about possible postseason contention.
The Sixers went 10-5 in January, with signature wins over two elite franchises: the Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto Raptors. This was the Sixers' first winning month since they went 9-6 in November 2012.
The altered starting lineup and changes in the rotation are the main reasons the Sixers are the league's second-hottest team behind the Golden State Warriors. They take an 18-29 record into Wednesday night's game against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. The Sixers will look to snap a seven-game series skid to the Mavericks (18-30).
The most beneficial move for the Sixers had to do with T.J. McConnell replacing Sergio Rodriguez as the starting point guard. Then consider that Nerlens Noel has supplanted Jahlil Okafor as the backup center when Embiid plays. As a way to shop Okafor for possible trade partners, the Sixers have started the second-year veteran in several of the games when Embiid was held out for rest or because of a bruised left knee.
The decision to start Nik Stauskas at shooting guard for the last 17 games in place of Gerald Henderson also sparked the Sixers. Henderson brings a lot of leadership to a young second unit.
"Out of all the lineup adjustments, he's the only one that probably didn't come through injury that people just held, like T.J. when Sergio went down," Sixers coach Brett Brown said. "T.J. held on and just grabbed that thing right by the neck. What a month he has had."
McConnell got his second start of the season against the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 30 as Rodriguez was sidelined with a sprained left ankle.
The team won the first two of the three games Rodriguez missed, and McConnell never looked back. He's scheduled to start his 17th straight game on Wednesday. The second-year undrafted veteran has improved with each start and has averaged 10.8 assists over his last six games.
Things also changed for Noel in the game at Denver. That's when he first backed up Embiid on a night when Okafor was held out with a sore left hamstring.
Noel went on to become a standout reserve, while Okafor has made only five appearances since then.
Noel has averaged 12.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 2 blocks over the last five games. He has shot 68.4 percent from the field and 80 percent from the foul line during that stretch. The third-year veteran started three of those games while Embiid rested or was sidelined with his sore knee.
"I think they made the decision to help the team win games," Noel said of the moves. "And I think when they did, we started winning games.
"I think it's as simple as that."
Time will tell if the Sixers can maintain their hot streak. Twenty of their next 30 games are on the road.
