With nearly all of their starters currently sidelined with injuries (or suspension, in Paul George’s case), the Philadelphia 76ers have found themselves in a brutal slump. Now touting a 35-31 win-loss card, they are now situated in 9th place in the Eastern Conference, and with only 16 games left on their schedule, it is becoming more difficult for them to stay in the race for a top-six finish and clinch a playoff berth outright.
Fortunately for them, things are almost guaranteed to not get worse from here on out. While they could easily slide down to No. 10 with the Hornets lurking, they have a significant distance from the 11th-seeded Bucks. Philly is 7.5 games above Milwaukee in the standings, and given how the latter has been playing, there is only an extremely small shot that they can still turn things around on time.
The 76ers badly need this kind of assurance at the very least. While they would not like to admit it, their fate is not entirely in their hands now given that their contemporaries in the East are starting to seriously jockey for position in the standings. As such, they need all the help they can get to return to the playoffs this year.
The 76ers keep getting indirect help from the Bucks in the standings
The wild fact is that only 2.5 games separate the current fifth seed, the Orlando Magic, from the 76ers (which are currently at No. 9 in the standings). With a couple of guaranteed playoff spots still widely available for taking, the race in the standings to end the regular season should be a fierce one.
Philly should be able to to have Kelly Oubre Jr., Tyrese Maxey, and Joel Embiid in the coming weeks with George also slated to come back from his suspension in less than two weeks, but until then, their ragtag lineup will have to keep them in the running and not fall too far behind.
According to Tankathon, the 76ers have the ninth-easiest schedule remaining, which is the best mark among the current loop of teams still vying to get out of the play-in tournament –– a group which includes the Magic, Heat, Raptors, Hawks, and Hornets. Philly is projected to have the most modest slate compared to those teams, so that is an advantage for them.
As long as the 76ers can avoid a complete freefall, they should still be able to mount a late-season surge. Thankfully, with the Bucks in a brutal skid, they can go out there and not fear missing the postseason entirely.