The Philadelphia 76ers carry with them huge expectations for next season, but they are definitely not going to start off on the right footing to begin the campaign. After all, this team is arguably the most difficult to predict in the league thanks to the sheer range of variance of results that could be possible with this group.
Aside from that, injury concerns have not faded away. Heck, both Joel Embiid and Paul George are expected to miss training camp and possibly the start of the regular season, casting doubt on both stars’ ability to stay on the floor to give the team a higher ceiling to make real noise in the standings.
Having said that, those things are out of their control. But unfortunately, there is something within their ambit of control that they utterly failed to do this summer and it stands to hurt their chances of being a legitimately good squad in the upcoming campaign even under the operative context of a theoretically “easier” Eastern Conference race.
Look at the team’s current roster and depth chart and get back to me as to what their biggest issue is. It’s not rocket science.
The 76ers still do not have a real starter-caliber power forward
With the exit of Guerschon Yabusele, who was reportedly lowballed by the 76ers in free agency negotiations, the 76ers officially do not have a natural power forward who can tenably start games for the team. And quite frankly, the front office did not fill the impending void he will be leaving.
Knowing Nick Nurse, he will most likely try to commit to the team playing small-ball lineups with either Paul George or Kely Oubre Jr. playing as the nominal four in the starting unit. That, however, is a rather glib situation that does not inspire much confidence in the team’s ability to get past their recurring issues.
Last season, the 76ers were easily the worst rebounding squad in the league while also being a bottom-tier squad in protecting the paint. These are the areas where Yabusele’s absence will be underscored, as he was a solid contributor and a reliable presence in those departments.
The coaching staff will have to get more creative than ever in minting lineups out of what they currently have on deck. They do have options, albeit untested ones, but at this point, when you are at the bottom of the food chain, you don’t get to complain.
But for now, this is the reality they need to cope with, which they frankly did to themselves.