Philadelphia 76ers: Revisiting our preseason “Ranking the Sixers” project
The Philadelphia 76ers have undergone a significant change in perception since the season began.
In September, when hopes of a Philadelphia 76ers title run were still high, and optimism around the new additions still existed, we ranked all 17 players on the roster. From Joel Embiid through the two-way contracts, we averaged nine different lists from nine individual writers to create one, definitive ranking.
Such a list naturally breeds controversy. It’s difficult to form a true consensus on a matter involving so many players. The act of list-making is inherently arbitrary, and there was no doubt some wide gaps between our nine writers. Still, when the list dropped in September, it landed relatively close to public taste.
Here are our official rankings from September 2019. If you want to read in-depth descriptions of all 17 players, you can check out the original article here.
- Joel Embiid
- Ben Simmons
- Tobias Harris
- Al Horford
- Josh Richardson
- Mike Scott
- James Ennis III
- Zhaire Smith
- Kyle O’Quinn
- Matisse Thybulle
- Trey Burke
- Raul Neto
- Jonah Bolden
- Shake Milton
- Furkan Korkmaz
- Marial Shayok
- Norvel Pelle
It’s safe to say a lot has changed since the season began. The Sixers no longer project as title favorites in the surprisingly competitive Eastern Conference. Public opinion on some players has risen (see: Shake Milton, Furkan Korkmaz), while for others, it has plummeted (see: Al Horford, Zhaire Smith). Not to mention a couple trades to spice things up.
We have therefore decided to revisit the project while everyone is stuck at home and the season is on hold. We will once again gather a large group of writers and determine — using the grand power of algebra — a definitive, inarguable, all-out consensus ranking of every player on the Sixers roster.
One would expect a great deal of change. Al Horford over Josh Richardson has morphed from a no-brainer in the minds of many, to a sweltering hot take in a matter of months. Zhaire Smith clearly had high hopes coming into the season. He has barely seen the floor. On the other end, Furkan Korkmaz and Shake Milton barely made the roster. Now they’re essential rotation pieces.
Next. Top 3 underperformers from 2019-20 season. dark
Stay tuned for our updated Ranking the Sixers project in the coming weeks.