The Phillies are down 2-0 and the Eagles finally lost a game. It’s the perfect time to talk about your Philadelphia 76ers.
You all had a ton of questions, so let’s dive right in!
Will lump these three Joel
Embiid/team outlook questions together.
Maybe it’s been underreported, but Embiid participated during live, 5-on-5 portions of practice on the Saturday before the team left for Abu Dhabi. He took off the next day, which makes sense, but him already doing 5-on-5 is an encouraging sign, especially considering that was not the case a year ago.
Embiid mentioned at media day that this is a totally different situation than last year. That makes sense. In 2023-24, he had surgery in February, returned in eight weeks, played some regular season games and a grueling six-game playoff series against the Knicks, and then was playing for Team USA not long after. In 2024-25, he had surgery in April — an arthroscopic procedure, not another meniscus repair — and hasn’t played competitive basketball since. It stands to reason that he’d be in a much better place physically.
I’ve been saying all summer that your mental health will be a lot better if you just assume Embiid and Paul George aren’t playing — and until they both do, I think it’s still a fair way to think. With that said, the Embiid news has been encouraging so far. I’m not telling you to put on your Embiid jersey and puff out your chest saying he’s going to win another MVP, but it does feel different from last season.
Given those listed options, I’m going with an extremely tempered version of A. He played 19 games last season under the circumstances I just discussed. I don’t think it’s crazy to think he’ll play in 20~ more games this season. Will he be the same two-way force he’s been when healthy? I don’t know. Nobody does. But I think even a very good but not great version of Embiid would be an enormous help.
I think the Sixers have enough talent — even with part-time versions of Embiid and George — to compete for a playoff spot. Between Tyrese Maxey, Quentin Grimes, Jared McCain (who should only miss a small chunk of games to start the season) and VJ Edgecombe, they’ll get enough shot creation and shot making. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re a .500 team this season, so that over/under is tricky. I legit think they win around 40 games. I was as pessimistic as anyone this summer, but I think maybe the pendulum has swung a bit too far the other way. We’ll see!
These are loosely related, so I’ll tackle both here.
Daryl Morey is going to let Nick Nurse do the coaching. Nurse is going to try to win. So, if Grimes is the player who gives the Sixers the best chance to win, he’s going to play. I will say, I found it odd that the presence of Edgecombe was reportedly a negotiation sticking point with Grimes’ camp. I don’t think Nurse is going to hand anything to Edgecombe, but I think there’s a strong chance the rookie will take it. And that’s probably the same deal for McCain when he returns.
I think Grimes is a good player. He can be a starting-caliber 2 in this league. But Edgecombe and McCain have star upside. So if things go south in a hurry this season, that could change the equation. In the end, I think all four guards are going to play a ton. As Nurse said on media day, at a certain point, you just need to get your best players on the floor, regardless of position. He won’t shy away from playing three-guard lineups (and even teased the idea of a four-guard lineup).
We weren’t around Grimes a ton last year, but he seemed to be liked and respected in the locker room. He already had a relationship with Maxey before he was traded here. I think the coaching staff and his teammates appreciated how hard he played every night. Sure, he had a contract to worry about, but even after his incredible March he played through some injuries and tried to be as available as possible. It’s my understanding that Grimes is viewed positively by the Sixers’ organization, despite how ugly his restricted free agency got by the end. There’s still hope on their end that the pieces can fit and they can bring Grimes back long-term. I’m not so sure about that last part.
For the record, I’m not positive Embiid and George will miss the start of the season. Again, it’s fair to assume they will, so I’ll go along with the hypothetical.
Starters, you’re likely looking at something similar to what you saw in Abu Dhabi — Maxey, Edgecombe, Kelly Oubre, Jr., Trendon Watford (instead of Dominick Barlow) and Adem Bona. I wouldn’t be surprised if Grimes comes off the bench so that you’ll have some of his creation ability when Maxey is off the floor. I also wouldn’t be surprised if Nurse goes three guards out of the gate, preferring Grimes’ shooting over Oubre’s size. However it looks, I believe those will be the team’s top six to start the year.
Andre Drummond will likely have a role to start the season if Embiid is unable to play, but I think Bona gets the bulk of the minutes. It seemed like rookie Johni Broome was clearly third in the backup center mix. Nurse has also mentioned Jabari Walker as an option at center. I believe Walker and Barlow will get every opportunity to earn minutes and roles this season. Both players signed two-way deals, knowing the Sixers could use their size and their skillsets. I had Justin Edwards penciled in for a rotation spot, but he’s had a tough summer/fall.
As far as Kyle Lowry and Eric Gordon, I don’t see either having much of a role. Maybe if the team is just horrid from three over a stretch like they were in Abu Dhabi, Nurse will tap Gordon and hope he can help with spacing, but as of now, they seem like they’re both end-of-the-bench guys.
I’ll start by disappointing you — I think it’s more likely they use the TMLE to convert Walker or Barlow to a standard deal. Our Bryan Toporek just had a great explainer on what the team can and can’t do with the TMLE.
As Bryan notes, it does feel like the team is hedging a bit. Being only $7 million over the luxury tax makes them an Oubre trade away from ducking the tax yet again, which would be a profoundly disappointing outcome. If the team is in the mix and wants to use it on a buyout candidate, it’s important to note the player they’re signing needs to have a 2025-26 cap hit lower than the NTMLE ($14.1 million) for the Sixers to be able to sign him.
There will be no shortage of buyout candidates in this new CBA world. With these situations, I focus less on specific players and more player types. The ideal type of player the Sixers could use is a combo forward who can rebound. Will that player archetype be available? I don’t know. A veteran big/combo big might not be a bad option if Drummond struggles again and Bona doesn’t seem quite ready.
