The Philadelphia 76ers have not any expectations on the court for the past four years, but this offseason has added pressure on this young team.
The Philadelphia 76ers have had the benefit of many fans “trusting the process” the past four years, but things are about to change and the organization should be ready to meet some expectations.
This offseason has put the idea of making the playoffs almost as a guarantee in the minds of many and with that comes the pressure Philadelphia can put on its teams.
Philadelphia 76ers
Weaker Eastern Conference
Everybody knows the east is much weaker than the west because of some trades this offseason.
Paul George leaving Indiana to go to the Oklahoma City Thunder should certainly remove them from the playoff hunt.
Even though the Chicago Bulls didn’t make the playoffs last season, losing Jimmy Butler should make them one of the worst teams in the conference for the foreseeable future.
This is where some of the pressure will come from for the Sixers.
Fans are aware the conference is getting weaker and the Sixers appear to be getting stronger.
The Sixers have a great chance to leap over some teams that have finished ahead of them in the standings the past few years. It would be surprising if they didn’t capitalize on it.
Active in free agency
Another big reason why there will be expectations this season is because the team was active in free agency.
Yes, they made moves in last year when they brought it Gerald Henderson and others. But this year is different because they signed one of the biggest names in this year’s free agency class.
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JJ Redick brings playoff experience and three-point shooting, two things the Sixers sought going into the offseason. But he also brings more expectation and pressure to the Sixers young core to win more games.
Can this team handle the pressure?
The Sixers have had the benefit of the doubt from most fans the past four seasons but that grace period appears to be ending.
The Sixers took steps forward while other teams around them appear to have taken steps back.
Fans and players should be excited about the way things have occurred this offseason. But now, this is when goals are set and wins and losses are looked at closely.
Will this core be ready to not only get to those expectations and maybe even pass them?
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They better be or the honeymoon between the fans and players could start to crumble.