Philadelphia 76ers Are Better Than The Brochure

After a disastrous 2015-2016, conclusions about the quality of the current Philadelphia 76ers is deeply discounted. This team is absolutely better than the brochure.

Perception is more convincing to many than real facts. Perception is that ability of the human mind where facts and imagination blend into a belief – a forging of the known to the “what if”. In this realm, it’s where we create our religious beliefs, our imagination, our artwork, and our fictional tales.

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It’s also where we create a reality for ourselves which does not align with facts. The Philadelphia 76ers are a case in point. The team has some of the more talented young players in the NBA, but we still flirt with discussions of finishing last in the NBA. Some are even settling for another 10-72 season.  It was a bad season for many reasons – and those reasons were unique to last season alone. The team is still not expected to play well this season either as a result of that perception.

I don’t see it that way. And to be honest, not many of the NBA aficionados should either.

The team is built upon an assumption that if it accumulates enough talent, eventually that talent will translate into success.  So far, the team is ahead of the curve on the accumulation of talent. From the summer league:

From Team USA Select:

And still more accolades for other players:

These are all players who are returning. Consider that the Philadelphia 76ers are adding more talent to the team via the NBA draft in Ben Simmons, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, and Eurostashed shooting guard Furkan Korkmaz, as well as red-shirted rookies Joel Embiid and Dario Saric, and you should begin to feel the optimism.

No, this is not a championship team yet. Rookies have so much to absorb the first year, and there remains the question of best fit among these players.

The Philadelphia 76ers roster is a very gifted and talent collection right now, and thanks to their youth, will continue to improve each season. We’ll have our focus on Simmons, Saric, and Embiid this year, and perhaps rightfully so.

Next: It May Take Time for Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot to be Effective for Sixers

This team is a collective group of very talented players who have simply needed that catalyst. Ben Simmons may very well prove to be that spark.  That spark could ignite this roster, a roster which will learned how to play hard and win games as underdogs.   The best part of the team is that nobody will be looking for them to have much success.

The brochure says another last place finish for the Philadelphia 76ers this year, but this team is better than the brochure.  Better by a long shot.