After spending much of the beginning of this past season near the top of the Eastern Conference, an untimely injury to Joel Embiid left the Philadelphia 76ers struggling just to get in to the playoffs once April rolled around. Once they were there, it was another early exit after getting matched up with a talented Knicks team.
It was of course a disappointing season result, but hardly a surprising one for Sixers fans. This team has struggled mightily to get over the hump in the Embiid era, still seeking their first appearance in the conference finals since he established himself as Philadelphia's franchise player.
They can still get there, but time is of the essence. The clock is ticking on Embiid with his health seeming to take a blow every season. 76ers management will want to be aggressive in seeking out moves that can upgrade the roster this summer. If they really knock it out of the park, this core of players can absolutely challenge Boston for the title of best in the East next season.
Should Philly pull off their dream offseason, the starting lineup could look something like this next season.
Center: Joel Embiid
Of course, this one is a total no-brainer. The only thing that would keep Embiid out of the starting lineup on opening night is injury, and he should have plenty of time to rehab everything that dragged him down this past season during the summer.
The 2023-24 season showed us that when he is fully healthy, Joel is still a top-five player in the world at worst. The way he has continued refining his offensive approach and has effectively mastered the game showed us that he is more than capable of taking this team deep into the postseason given better injury luck.
Even while hampered by Bell's Palsy and still coming off meniscus surgery, Embiid put up a valiant effort over six games against New York in the first round of the playoffs last month. If the Sixers have him back to 100% to start next season, it will go a long way toward getting closer to accomplishing their biggest goal.