Preseason NBA Power Rankings 16-30
By Bret Stuter
Jul 14, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Scottie Wilbekin (18) celebrates after a scoring play in an NBA Summer League game against the Knicks at Thomas and Mack Center. The Knicks won the game in overtime, 84-81. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
22. Philadelphia 76ers Projected Record: 34-48 Many experts and fans expect this team to tank in 2015. I do not. Many believe the team will not play competitively until they manage to obtain the first draft pick in the NBA draft. I do. Even my trusted and very savvy colleagues at The Sixer Sense project the Sixers to finish near the bottom of the NBA pile. Have you begun to debate my objective analysis yet? Well, the team has made subtle improvements to the roster which will help dramatically. They picked the best player available at three in the NBA draft in Jahlil Okafor. We even mentioned in a previous slide how the Sixers dealt with the Sacramento Kings, and have big expectations for Nik “Sauce Castillo” Stauskas. But the wild card to the season is the return of scoring ace Pierre “Pappy Jack” Jackson. Pappy suffered an Achilles heel injury in summer league of 2014, and has slowly rehabbed back to health. With a starting lineup that could look like PF Nerlens Noel, PG Pierre Jackson, SG Nik Stauskas, C Jahlil Okafor, and SF Robert Covington , the team will be well rounded and have improved both offensively and defensively. Still, how can I predict such a massive jump for a team that needed two years to reach a similar win number? This is the first year where the draft will actually show up on the court. With the addition of Stauskas, Okafor and Noel will not have to shoulder the team on their individual shoulders. And I do believe that Jackson will regain his scoring proficiency.
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