The Atlantic Division will be a bloodbath for the Philadelphia 76ers

NBA Divisions are almost irrelevant nowadays, but with teams within the same cluster still having more matchups between them than with anybody else, some divisions certainly can boast of having a tougher schedule across the board. That holds true for the Philadelphia 76ers in the upcoming season, as the Atlantic Division is poised to be yet another bloodbath.

Last season, four out of five teams in the division made the postseason, with the lone team to not make it — the Toronto Raptors — still almost clinching a spot with a play-in tournament berth. In fact, three of four Eastern Conference semifinalists — the 76ers, Boston Celtics, and New York Knicks — came from the group, while the Brooklyn Nets still managed to retain their grasp on the playoffs despite a massive fire sale in the previous campaign.

The Atlantic Division will be a bloodbath for the Philadelphia 76ers this season

Heading into the upcoming 2023-24 season, which is only officially a few weeks away, the 76ers will have a routinely tough test awaiting for them all year in their Atlantic Division contests. Winning the division doesn’t come with the old perks anymore, but having the best record against teams from the same swarm is one of the most important tiebreakers when it comes to seeding.

Doing either of those things will, however, require even more from Philly which is widely expected to drop-off a bit in this campaign following the franchise’s offseason intrusions. Another reason for this is the fact that they’re playing in arguably the toughest division in the league — and all of their division mates are actively trying to win still.

Boston is understandably the favorite with Philadelphia right behind them, but New York is no slouch either and could easily land home court advantage in the playoffs at best. Brooklyn, contrary to popular belief, will have a competitive squad to trot out, while Toronto still clung onto its core at large and will definitely not be playing for ping-pong balls.

The 76ers posted a 10-6 division record last season, just a hair behind the Celtics which led the pack at 11-5. Again, surpassing that may be a challenge in itself, but the same can also be said for the other teams which will be slated for four games of their own against Philly.

Hopefully, the Philadelphia 76ers manage to shine in the Atlantic Division next season. It may ultimately not mean a whole lot, but it could end up being one of the telling signs of how far they can go next season.