The Philadelphia 76ers are building a team that can be accurately classified as a tale of two visions. On one end, the 76ers trend toward contending whenever Joel Embiid and Paul George are healthy. On the other, Philadelphia seems to be fully investing in the future.
In a recent article on ESPN, the dilemma that the 76ers have created for themselves was perfectly summarized as both flexible and restrictive.
George was acquired in the hope that he could form a top-tier big three with Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. Unfortunately, injuries have complicated the matter and seemingly resulted in Philadelphia investing in up-and-coming talent rather than veterans.
Zach Kram of ESPN perfectly summarized the 76ers' current predicament as a team struggling to choose between divergent timelines and the uncertainty their predicament inevitably creates.
"The 76ers are stuck between two paths. The win-now route centers on Joel Embiid and Paul George, who are both in their 30s and due more than $100 million combined this season. But with the health of both veterans uncertain, the 76ers could instead pivot to a future-oriented strategy centered on young guards Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain and VJ Edgecombe."
The 76ers' options could be perceived as strengths or weaknesses, but Kram only needed one sentence to epitomize the dilemma at hand:
"But as long as Embiid is on the roster and even theoretically at full strength, the 76ers have to at least consider trying to maximize his remaining competitive window."
It's the unenviable issue facing the 76ers' front office, as they must choose to some degree between building a contender around Joel Embiid and remaining patient with a youth movement.
76ers are stuck between dream of a title, appeal of youth movement
The 76ers have no shortage of promising young talent, particularly along the perimeter. The quartet of VJ Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes, Maxey, and Jared McCain are all compelling and talented players who are 25 or younger.
Edgecombe, 20, and McCain, 21, are perhaps the strongest examples of the need to embrace patience with up-and-coming players who are destined to make mistakes as they learn on the fly.
Even Maxey, a 24-year-old who has already been an All-Star, and Grimes, a 25-year-old who averaged 21.9 points per game with the 76ers in 2024-25, have room for improvement. It's simply an inevitability that players with qualities such as youth and inexperience will play accordingly.
The same goes for 21-year-old wing Justin Edwards, 22-year-old center Adem Bona, and 24-year-old scorer Trendon Watford, who all project to factor into Nick Nurse's rotation.
With no fewer than seven players who are 25 or younger and likely to play meaningful minutes in 2025-26, it's fair to believe the youth movement is in full effect. With Grimes due to enter unrestricted free agency next summer and potentially command a large salary, the need to commit isn't all that far off.
The reality remains, however, that healthy versions of Embiid and George are capable of leading the 76ers to great heights—at least on paper.
76ers have built a young roster led by 30-plus stars
Embiid is a former MVP and two-time scoring champion who has effectively established himself as a walking postseason appearance. George, meanwhile, is a nine-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA honoree, and four-time All-Defense selectee who has reached the Conference Finals on three separate occasions.
Along with a young All-Star in Maxey, the 76ers have the potential to roll out one of the best trios in the NBA—and thus, compete for a championship.
Unfortunately, Embiid has appeared in a combined 58 games over the past two seasons and George has missed at least 41 outings in two of the past four. Furthermore, Kelly Oubre Jr., 29, is the only supporting player on the roster who's younger than 35 and older than 25.
It's yet another example of the 76ers seemingly prioritizing a youth movement—although the fact they have all of their first-round draft picks between 2027 and 2032 suggests a trade is a possibility.
The question is: Should Philadelphia trade some of their young assets and draft picks to go all-in on building around Embiid and George despite their respective injury histories? If not, then can a cast of up-and-coming players truly realize their potential with two over-30 stars making more than $50 million per season and commanding the touches that come along with their salaries?
Perhaps it will all work out in the end, but the 76ers are the epitome of a team that's stuck between two visions entering the 2025-26 season.