The Philadelphia 76ers are poised to mount a huge comeback next season. After finishing with one of the worst records in the league, the team should be back in the thick of things in the Eastern Conference as they aim to resume their chase for the title after a one-year sabbatical thanks to their ceaseless bouts with the injury bug.
Having said that, the road will not be any easier for the 76ers. Sure, the East pales in comparison to the much more loaded West, but the conference still packs a lot of firepower from proven teams turbocharged by veteran stars to upstart ball clubs looking to sens a strong statement to the league next season.
As long as the injury bug does not bite them as hard as it did last season, the 76ers should have little problems making it back in the postseason picture. Now, that would seem like a presumptuous thing to say given the team’s brittle personnel, but there is another reason why the team is likely to make more noise this time around.
A handful of Philly’s key rivals have greatly waned in quality from last season. Teams like the Celtics and the Pacers come to mind, but only because those squads will be without their respective best players. The one we are referring to is the Heat, which did not do much to fortify their chances for next season.
76ers presumably jump past the Heat, which stumbled this offseason
Miami has been a consistent threat in the East for years, but the tide has definitely shifted for the proud franchise the moment Jimmy Butler forced his way out of the city last season.
The Heat made some minor shake-ups this offseason, but none project to be anything close to messianic enough for them to jump back to contention. Even having one of the league’s best coaches in Erik Spoelstar will only get them so far.
Bam Adebayo remains a star every team would want to have, but he does not have what it takes to be the best player on an ambitious franchise. Ditto for Tyler Herro, whose shoehorning as their nominal No. 1 option speaks volumes about this team’s shortcomings and mediocre footing.
In a direct head-to-head collision course, I will go out on a limb and say that the Philadelphia 76ers will be better than the Miami Heat next season. After all, it’s not about what the former did this offseason, but more about what the latter failed to do to move the needle.