After a swift break in action due to the surprisingly entertaining All-Star break, people's attention will now turn to NBA regular-season action and the franchises aiming to make a playoff push. Despite currently occupying the sixth seed in the standings, the Philadelphia 76ers have an air of calamity surrounding them. A lack of initiative in free agency could prove to be their downfall, as they have failed to address a fundamental roster issue: an impactful scoring bench presence.
Realistically, if you had offered any Sixers fan a 30-24 record heading into the All-Star break, the option of being 1.5 games ahead of the Play-In Tournament places, and a thriving Joel Embiid who has stayed relatively healthy at the start of the 2025-26 season, they would have snapped your hand off. However, Philadelphia should not take this success as a reason to rest on its laurels; it must build from a position of power and prepare for a full-scale assault on the Eastern Conference.
After opting to dodge the salary tax while ignoring the cornerstone of the franchise's pleas to keep the core of this roster together, the front office created a gaping hole in the 76ers' roster that must be addressed.
Philadelphia's bench impact is non-existent
There are several requirements that a roster must hit if it is serious about going deep into the postseason: talent, experience, and impactful depth. With Jared McCain’s departure halting his resurgent arc and Quentin Grimes still searching for consistent scoring form, Philadelphia’s bench lacks dependable offensive contributors to sustain production when the starters are off the floor.
Over recent years, Philly fanatics have seen this problem wreak havoc on the Sixers' playoff hopes, leaving Embiid to endure heavy criticism when, frankly, the pieces around him have not provided him with the sufficient help he required. If the statistics are anything to go by, Philadelphia's postseason fate may take a familiar turn.
Throughout the 2025-26 season, the Philadelphia 76ers' bench languishes in 28th position (out of 30 teams) for offensive rating. The Sixers' secondary unit is currently contributing 30.4 points per game, with Quentin Grimes shouldering much of the scoring burden -- averaging 12.7 points per game.
Without Grimes available, who himself has been struggling of late, Philadelphia offers little resistance from the bench. During the 138-89 annihilation by the New York Knicks on February 11, the 76ers could only accumulate 22 points from their substitutions. MarJon Beauchamp led the scoring for Philadelphia with eight points. Nevertheless, his two-way contract suggests that he will not be a prominent figure in the secondary unit's future offense.
At some point, the Philadelphia 76ers' front office must acknowledge that a lack of activity in the trade market and free agency is hindering the franchise's ability to reach its true potential with a superstar of the standing of Joel Embiid. Fans may have to brace for another rough ride in the postseason -- if they even manage to qualify.