This Sixers Standings Prediction Would Demand Major Changes

If The Athletic's standing prediction for the Sixers turns out to be correct, be prepared for major changes in Philadelphia.

Feb 20, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) and guard Tyrese Maxey (0) talk in the final minute of the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Looking at the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia 76ers just might be the most confusing team.

On one hand, they look like championship contenders on paper. A little luck in the health department could have them punching their ticket to the playoffs as a top-six seed.

But we all saw what happened last year. The Sixers missed the playoffs and the Play-In, punching their ticket to the lottery, where they lucked up with the third-overall pick, which became VJ Edgecombe.

When The Athletic put their seeding predictions together recently, the Sixers ended up in a bad spot. However, it was made clear that if you predict “any number” for the Sixers, it shouldn’t be debated.

“There is probably wider variance on Philadelphia’s potential outcomes than for any team in the league,” The Athletic’s John Hollinger wrote.

“You can imagine a scenario where Joel Embiid can’t stay healthy, Paul George never gets back to full strength and things go off the rails so quickly that the Sixers try to tank their way out of donating a lottery pick to the Thunder for a second straight season, although they have to luck into the top four to do it this time.”

The Sixers just wrapped up their second-worst season of the Joel Embiid era since he made his debut. That wasn’t intentional this time around. After spending big in free agency two summers ago, the Sixers flopped harder than any other team in the NBA. The worst part is that they are prone to doing it again.

Embiid looks to be in great form in a recent scrimmage out in Delaware, but can his body hold up for more than 20 games? Paul George hasn’t made a public appearance yet after playing in just half a season last year. Tyrese Maxey looks to be in great shape again after an injury-riddled season for the All-Star, but the “can he be a 1A?” questions are still in play.

The Sixers get a lot of praise for their young core, which is headlined by VJ Edgecombe, Jared McCain, and the re-signed veteran Quentin Grimes. But there are more questions than answers there as well.

Edgecombe hasn’t played in a single game. McCain had a strong start to his rookie year, but his season was derailed due to a knee injury. A thumb injury pushes his 2025-2026 debut back. And while Grimes has plenty of action under his belt, the Sixers aren’t sure where his true value is at after seeing such a strong difference between his Philly tenure and his run in Dallas.

Whether the injuries rack up again or not, 10th place would be a major failure for Philadelphia that would have to demand changes across the board. The Sixers’ front office understood the risk they were taking when built out the core of their roster in the summer of 2024. If it doesn’t pan out for the second season in a row, the writing will be on the wall.

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