How good are the 2023 Philadelphia 76ers compared to a season before?
By Kunal Chawda
Philadelphia 76ers are just 17 games away from wrapping up the 2023 regular season. With some great results, the Sixers are on-course to cross 50 wins for the season. They have been doing this since the 2021 season and maintained a top-team status in the East. Still, after all the “credentials”, they lost in the conference semis for two playoffs.
Franchise star Joel Embiid signed a supermax contract in August 2021, keeping faith in the Sixers’ progress. He did play his part, carrying the Philly team throughout the 2022 season and later in the postseason. They already had a huge trade to cement their position in the 2022 season – bringing in three-time scoring champion James Harden.
Yes, the crushing right orbital fracture suffered by Joel Embiid in the Raptors series was a massive blow. It certainly sent the Philadelphia 76ers’ odds of winning the NBA title crashing to the abyss. But he did return in the next series, and his heroics won the team two games against the Miami Heat.
Yet the dark horses in the 2022 season couldn’t get better than their last season’s outcome. Looking at the circumstances, the front office did make some personnel changes in the 2022 off-season. And now, we will have a reality check in this result-driven industry. So we compare the 2022 Philadelphia 76ers team with the current squad for their claim to the Larry O’Brien trophy. Does the current Philadelphia 76ers team have what it takes to end the 4-decade long wait for the city of brotherly love? Let us go with the positives first.