The 2024-25 NBA season is off to an incredibly eventful start. A testament to that is the most recent eye-popper involving Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid and a media member, but that is far from the only surprising storyline that has currently engulfed the brand new campaign.
While it’s still way too early to make long-term prognostications, especially based on the six to seven games that all teams have played, there are definitely a slew of discernible themes that can perhaps be pinpointed even at this juncture.
Perhaps a very notable one if the current unraveling of the Milwaukee Bucks, one of the 76ers’ prime rivals in the Eastern Conference which, after handing Philly a loss on opening night, have yet to carve out a win since then, losing five straight contests en route to a 1-5 win-loss card as of writing.
The 76ers managed to avoid what’s now dismantling the Bucks
Milwaukee’s downswing has been one of the biggest talking points early this season. While Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to play at an MVP level, the Bucks have largely become a one-man show. Damian Lillard is starting to look like his age, Khris Middleton remains sidelined, and the team’s barrage of unathletic cogs has made them look like a hapless bunch.
Even Giannis has hinted about a degree of willingness to be traded, which spells doom for Milwaukee. They don’t really have much leverage right now, and their uber-expensive roster and lack of draft capital only exacerbates their situation in the immediate future.
The 76ers were once in the same position, and while one might argue that the franchise also touts one of the most expensive ensembles in the NBA, Daryl Morey has made some waves trying to imbue some sustainability for the long run. Aside from Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia has made it a point to slowly get younger and collect some useful assets for later.
Largely recouped thanks to the previous James Harden trade, the 76ers are different from some of their peers in that they have considerable command over what the draft can do for them in the foreseeable future.
Thus, even if the team bears witness to a steep decline as their stars start getting outside their prime, they can move with more wiggle room and avoid an outright, across-the-board collapse. That’s something the Bucks cannot do.
But hopefully, the Philadelphia 76ers do not reach a point where they would have to start from the ground up. The franchise has done too much not to go full throttle with its current direction for yet another mountain climb.