76ers' season may already be saved before it begins with release of schedule

The 76ers began their disastrous 2024-25 season with a 124-109 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks sans Joel Embiid and Paul George. Philadelphia never quite overcame that loss as it finished with its worst record since the 2016-17 campaign at 24-58. The 76ers weren’t able to hit the .500 mark last season for well-documented reasons. However, the basketball gods have given them a desperately needed break heading into the 2025-26 season. 

The 76ers have an easy start to the season

The NBA released its schedule for the upcoming season for all 30 teams today and it broke perfectly for Philadelphia, at least in the beginning. Five of the 76ers’ first nine opponents finished with sub-.500 records last year, which is vital. Those opponents include the Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, and Toronto Raptors.

Embiid and George both underwent arthroscopic procedures within the past four months. It remains to be seen whether either will be ready for training camp. Worst comes to worst, Philadelphia could begin the season without Embiid and/or George. Unfortunately, the 76ers suffered the same issue last year and weren’t able to recover. 

Part of the reason is that 10 of their first 13 games came against teams that would eventually make the postseason. Philadelphia started 2-11 – having to take on the NBA’s finest while being short-handed almost every night. This time around, the 76ers have a noticeably easier start to the season, which gives them the leeway to stay afloat with the assumption they’re not at maximum strength.

If by some miracle, Embiid, George, and Tyrese Maxey are on the floor come opening night, they have the perfect batch of games to develop ample chemistry. Philadelphia will need to handle business against these lesser teams to remain competitive. Assuming the 76ers have slightly better fortune, they have a great runway to have a bounce-back season.

The 76ers are swamped with back-to-backs

However, Philadelphia’s upcoming schedule is far from perfect. As Adam Aaronson of The Philly Voice pointed out, each team has four games slated against four opponents in its conference – excluding teams from its division. The 76ers will face the Wizards, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Detroit Pistons four times, which isn’t ideal. 

Philadelphia also has 16 sets of back-to-backs, which is tied for the most in the league. Even if Embiid and George are healthy, they’ll inevitably be load-managed throughout the season. This makes it more important for the 76ers to take advantage of their easy first bunch of games. For a team in Philadelphia’s situation, having that many back-to-backs is just brutal.