The Sixer Sense
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Philadelphia 76ers Depth Chart Reveals Playoff Caliber Team

By Bret Stuter

Apr 10, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; The Philadelphia 76ers dancers and flight squad gather at center court with Franklin the mascot at the Wells Fargo Center after the last home game of the season against the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers won 120-111. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; The Philadelphia 76ers dancers and flight squad gather at center court with Franklin the mascot at the Wells Fargo Center after the last home game of the season against the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers won 120-111. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 10, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; The Philadelphia 76ers dancers and flight squad gather at center court with Franklin the mascot at the Wells Fargo Center after the last home game of the season against the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers won 120-111. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; The Philadelphia 76ers dancers and flight squad gather at center court with Franklin the mascot at the Wells Fargo Center after the last home game of the season against the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers won 120-111. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

While the 2017 NBA Draft offers a chance to reinforce team roster, these Philadelphia 76ers are already Playoff Caliber Team

The Philadelphia 76ers woke up from a four year slumber in 2017.  After years of creating NBA players from second round and undrafted picks, the team finally began to fit the pieces all together.   The team managed a 20-30 record despite:

No Ben Simmons
Losing Joel Embiid for the season on January 27
Just Three Games from Jerryd Bayless
Robert Covington missing last eight games, all losses

So the team, in the heat of playoff runs by contenders, played well despite crippling injuries to four starters.  Now, those starters join and rejoin the team. What will be the results?

Injuries Masked Team’s Quality

Well, if all players can remain healthy, this team is playoff caliber.  How can I say that so confidently?  Plenty of NBA teams have had the difference between playoffs and lottery picks from just one key player being injured. The Philadelphia 76ers had as many as four such injured players through the course of the season.

Not much was said about this team in the course of the season, because the narrative had already been written: Philadelphia 76ers Tanking For NBA Draft Picks.  It will take a playoff appearance by this team to change that narrative.

That appearance will happen in 2017-2018