Sixers Placed on NBA’s 'Basement Floor' in Recent Rankings

The Philadelphia 76ers will end the season near the bottom of an NBA power rankings.

Feb 22, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) in action against the Brooklyn Nets at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

To no surprise, the Philadelphia 76ers are going out of the 2024-2025 NBA season on a low note.

One NBA power rankings, in particular, considered the Sixers to be at the league’s “basement floor.”

The Athletic gave the Sixers a slight boost this week compared to their last ranking, but at this point, the only positive to come out of this season is high odds of keeping a top-six first-round pick.

Ranked 27th, the Sixers placed only ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans, Charlotte Hornets, and the Utah Jazz. The Washington Wizards, Brooklyn Nets, and the San Antonio Spurs are the three teams ahead of them.

“While Kawhi Leonard is thriving in his first season without Paul George, Embiid faces even greater questions entering this offseason. Embiid’s season lasted only 19 games after it was delayed by knee issues and a suspension for how he addressed a columnist. Embiid was done by the end of February, and he will get his knee scoped this week. The Sixers were only 8-11 with Embiid on the floor this season, a 35-win pace that still would not have had the Sixers in the trough of the East Play-In Tournament. Embiid’s viability going forward is a major concern.”

Feb 22, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) holds his leg after a play against the Brooklyn Nets during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Looking back at last season, the Sixers had two identities. With Embiid, they were a surefire contender in the Eastern Conference, bound to get to a top-four seed. Without him, they looked like a borderline lottery team at best. Thanks to the dominance of Embiid pre-surgery, the Sixers managed to crack the NBA Play-In Tournament and made the playoffs as the seventh seed. They were bounced by the New York Knicks in round one.

This season, everything that could go wrong did. Embiid could never feel healthy enough to play for a long stretch. Paul George was supposed to fill the major void of Embiid when the big man missed time, but the nine-time All-Star couldn’t stay healthy himself. The lottery team everybody saw shades of when Embiid was out one season ago pretty much became the Sixers’ entire identity in 2024-2025.

As a result, they’ll end the season in the basement with a 42 percent chance of landing a top-four pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.