The Philadelphia 76ers are no strangers to lofty expectations, but those will be nearly atmospheric this season. Even amid tight and tougher competition in the Eastern Conference, public perception is unanimous in mounting the team as a top contender and a possible team-to-beat this time around.
Talent is clearly not something lacking on the roster. Joel Embiid, who was on track to repeat as Most Valuable Player last season before a major injury, is still at the very peak of his powers and has momentum going for him after his Olympics stint. Tyrese Maxey, clearly on his way to superstardom, only stands to get even better. And as if the franchise needed even more star power, nine-time All-Star Paul George arrives as a massive ceiling-raiser for a team desperate to snap a long title drought.
With the regular season just right around the corner, predictions are popping up left and right, However, it seems like not everyone is convinced about the team acing its 82-game slate in the 2024-25 campaign.
Lazy prediction has the 76ers falling short of expectations this season
The race in the Eastern Conference is as tight as it can be, and while the 76ers are penciled in as many as a cut above the rest, there is still some uncertainty in the eyes of some about the team’s ability to stay healthy enough to turn in a dominant regular season.
Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus recently put out his win-loss predictions for every team, and vetted the 76ers for a 50-32 finish, a record good for fifth place in the jampacked East.
There's a universe where the Sixers are healthy for most of the year and destroy all comers in the playoffs. That may not be our universe, however, and the team has fallen short with critical postseason injuries (or miscues) that have derailed every run.
While a 50-32 record would be a successful finish for most teams, the 76ers are definitely not operating under a plebeian license, not with that roster and collection of talent. Not even getting homecourt in the first-round of the playoffs would definitely be a disappointment.
Sure, the concern about Embiid and George’s health status over the course of a lengthy, exhausting 82-game season is a pretty valid one backed by precedence, but the 76ers are not anymore constructed to completely fizzle at the instance of an injury. Unless either misses significant time due to injury, it’s tough to envision them winning 50 games and losing 32 en route to a fifth-place finish, barely making it out of play-in territory.
Hopefully, the Philadelphia 76ers can make this prediction look pretty meh at the end of the regular season and hopefully, they use this as fuel to exceed everyone’s expectations and even win a championship.