NBA Insiders Tab Sixers as Dark Horse in the Eastern Conference

Right now, the Sixers are not considered a real championship contender.

They're +2500 to win the Eastern Conference alone, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, and they're +10000 to win the title this year. They're sandwiched between the Los Angeles Lakers, whose center's eccentricities might prevent him from becoming the X-factor that they need, and the Orlando Magic, who are among the bigger disappointments in the league this year.

With Joel Embiid sidelined for at least the next three games and Paul George suspended until late March, the Sixers aren't likely to sneak into the top four of the conference. That means they'll likely be headed on the road in Round 1—assuming they make the playoffs at all—to face the Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks or Cleveland Cavaliers.

There isn't a pushover among those four. Although some would (further) mentally break me than others.

But if some team other than that quartet winds up representing the East in the NBA Finals this year, a number of league insiders believe it could be the Sixers, according to ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst.

"They are the wild card to me," an assistant coach told them. "They could easily lose 4-0 in Round 1, but if they are healthy, Embiid and [Tyrese] Maxey are hard matchups for any of these teams."

That's not all the full-strength Sixers have to offer, either.

What makes the Sixers the best dark horse?

After a relatively healthy January in which he missed only three games, Embiid finished February having played in only five of the Sixers' 11 games in the month. Tack on his upcoming three-game absence, and it'll be more than a month since he's been a consistent presence in the lineup.

That alone threatens the Sixers' chances of maintaining a top-six seed and staying out of the play-in tournament. But as long as Embiid is healthy come mid-April, that's all the Sixers can realistically ask for this year.

Embiid still isn't back to being his full-strength self, but he's gotten closer this year than many (myself included) ever expected. Over his past 20 games, he averaged 29.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.4 threes per outing while shooting 52.3% overall and 36.5% from deep. He might have permanently lost a step defensively, but he's back to commanding extra defensive attention and freeing things up for his teammates.

Maxey has been the primary beneficiary of that, although he's done plenty of damage on his own this season as well. He's averaging a career-high 29.1 points, 6.8 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 3.4 threes while shooting 46.5% overall and 37.6% from deep. Both percentages are fairly impressive for a guard who's had to shoulder as much of the offensive load as Maxey has for the Sixers this year.

Embiid and Maxey are the headliners, but VJ Edgecombe and Paul George can't be ignored, either.

Paul George and VJ Edgecombe — Oct 10, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers Paul George (L) reacts with VJ Edgecombe (R) in plain clothes on the bench during a timeout in the third quarter against the Orlando Magic at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Edgecombe might not have the ceiling of Cooper Flagg, but he'll give Kon Knueppel and Dylan Harper a run for their money as the second-best player in this past year's draft class. He's averaging 15.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game, marks which only two other rookies over the past decade have matched. (Those rookies? Ben Simmons and LaMelo Ball.)

George has willingly slid into a No. 3 option role on offense, but he remains impactful defensively. He's in the 90th percentile of Dunks and Threes' defensive estimated plus/minus and the 82nd percentile of offensive EPM, which puts his overall EPM in the 89th percentile leaguewide.

Sixers fans might want a few more explosive scoring outings on nights where Maxey and/or Embiid clearly don't have it, but that isn't George's biggest problem at the moment. He's currently suspended until late March due to a violation of NBA's anti-drug program.

The good news is that when George returns in late March, he'll have fresh legs to help lift them for the stretch run and into the playoffs. George turns 36 in early May, so it never hurts to buy some rest for a key contributor in that age range, even if these particular circumstances weren't exactly optimal.

The quartet of Embiid, Maxey, George and Edgecombe would make the Sixers formidable enough in the playoffs if they all get there in one piece. But those four aren't all that the Sixers have to offer. From Kelly "t$unami" Oubre Jr. and Quentin Grimes to Dominick Barlow, Trendon Watford and and Adem Bona, the Sixers have a playoff rotation that goes a legitimate eight or nine deep.

"With the firepower they have, they deserve a mention," a West executive told Bontemps and Windhorst. "Maxey is awesome and I could see in a series he gets hot and Embiid has it going and it presents a big-time mismatch. That's a different element than anyone else has, and while they are a distant fifth, it's why I also can't totally rule them out."

Expecting the Sixers to string that together for three or four straight series—while staying relatively healthy—might be too much to ask. But if injury luck falls on their side for once, they have the talent to take advantage of a wide-open East.

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Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.

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