Unless you’ve been living under the rock, you probably already know that the Philadelphia 76ers have had a hell of an offseason.
Literally. And figuratively.
For that reason, most around NBA circles are not too high on the prospect of the Sixers trumping — or even propping up — their lofty regular season finish last season. From a 54-28 win-loss card, the abundant extracurriculars around the franchise could very well sink the team next season.
That is definitely the tune that the pundits are harping on with the advent of the 2023-24 schedule release yesterday.
The 76ers are predicted to finish much worse than last season
With the James Harden saga still brewing hard as of writing and the 76ers tethered to a disgruntled state, Bleacher Report is predicting Philly to tally nine less dubs in the upcoming campaign with a 45-37 slate, good for sixth in the East.
"A chaotic 2023 offseason took another wild turn for the Philadelphia 76ers this week, when James Harden publicly called president of basketball operations Daryl Morey a liar (twice), P.J. Tucker seemingly backed those comments and Joel Embiid removed “PROCESSING” and his location of Philadelphia from his profile on X, formerly known as Twitter.Consider all of that considered when reacting to a 45-win prediction."
To be blunt, this prediction is imbued with credence.
The Eastern Conference is much deeper than before, and the not-so-pleasant spectacle embroiling Philadelphia gives the team a much smaller margin of error in the regular season where jockeying for playoff positioning has become much more crucial due to the increasing parity in the league.
If the 76ers settles for a standstill on their ongoing dilemma without a clear way out, then a higher finish than last season should be pegged as an overestimation of their realities. Even with reigning MVP Joel Embiid still leading the way, you’d be hard-pressed to find an objective pundit who will cement the team ahead of powerhouses like Boston, Milwaukee, and Miami, among others, as currently configured.
Hopefully, the front office manages to patch things up quickly in time for the upcoming season. If not, the franchise will have no choice but to try and overcome a familiar foe as they attempt to mount another title bid: themselves.
Philadelphia 76ers 2023-24 Full 82-Game Schedule Released
The Philadelphia 76ers' schedule for the 2023-24 season starts in Milwaukee and includes the NBA's brand-new In-Season Tournament.