Sixers fandom has undergone a decade-long metamorphosis.
The Process brought about losing, but with a ray of hope. The Colangelo Era was bizarre and filled with screwups, but the team won a little bit. Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons turning into All-Stars made fans downright cocky. Jimmy Butler’s tenure felt like a fever dream. Most of Tobias Harris’ felt like a nightmare. The injuries, the holdouts, the postseason disappointments — many of you likely needed some form of therapy.
In many ways, last season
almost felt like the end of an era. After the team splurged on Paul George in free agency, the nine-time All-Star turned in an injury-riddled and ineffective season. Embiid played 19 games and never resembled his MVP form. It felt like a window was closing.
Other than drafting VJ Edgecombe, this offseason didn’t instill much promise. The Sixers were essentially stuck with most of the roster that went 24-58 in 2024-25. Plus, Embiid and George both underwent knee procedures. Understandably, fans weren’t planning to march down Broad St. in June.
But a funny thing is happening. The Sixers are playing well … and are fun to watch? Those concepts have almost been at odds with each other over the last half-decade.
The franchise had as great a chance as they’ve had to get back to the Eastern Conference Finals while James Harden was here in 2023, but was the season “fun”? It felt like the highs and lows of Harden — which, to be fair, some of those highs were very high — the discourse around Embiid’s MVP and the big fella’s injuries sort of sapped the joy out of everything. When the team choked away Game 6 at home and no-showed in Game 7, it felt much more like an inevitability than heartbreak.
Expectation-free was the correct way to go into the season. Expectation-free is probably still the move, but that doesn’t mean you can’t savor this moment. With social media, we all feel this need to quantify everything immediately.
Can the Sixers be a contender in the East?
Are Joel Embiid and Paul George back?
Is Tyrese Maxey an MVP candidate?
Is VJ Edgecombe the next Dwyane Wade?
Let’s all breathe.
The Sixers are 18-14, good for fifth in the East. Embiid and George both look better than they did at any point last season. Maxey has played like a superstar from opening night on. Edgecombe looks every bit like a future star in this league. These are unquestionably positive things. You can be excited about all of them.
But you don’t have to treat a road win in Dallas on Jan. 1 as a referendum on what this team is and can be. Do they have enough talent to compete in the East? Of course. Talent has never been the real issue. The issue is the health and availability of Embiid and George, and the sustainability of what Maxey and Edgecombe are doing.
It’s all about consistency. With the two veteran stars in the lineup regularly, they’ve clearly played better and have established chemistry with their teammates. They both played so little last season and to start this season, it was always going to take time. You can see they’re both processing things way faster and making quicker decisions. It’s not a coincidence.
It doesn’t even feel hyperbolic to say Maxey and Edgecombe have a chance to be the greatest backcourt in the franchise’s history. That said, Edgecombe is a rookie and he can’t legally buy alcohol. He’s taken bumps and bruises along the way. That will likely continue to happen — though he’s already exceeded expectations with his shooting and finishing at the rim.
The only thing that feels truly sustainable is Maxey’s play. He’s just that damn good. He’s turned into a superstar before our eyes … after some folks wondered what the team could get for him in a trade this past offseason (Yeah, going to keep bringing that one up because it sounds more ridiculous with each passing game). He’s well on his way to being an All-Star starter and getting an All-NBA nod.
But this is all so fragile — Embiid and George’s health, the rest of the roster remaining healthy, Edgecombe doing this as a rookie, two-way guys playing effective minutes — it’s fruitless to put expectations on it right now.
In this moment, the Sixers are playing a good and entertaining brand of basketball. Give yourself permission to enjoy it without having to quantify it. Think back to this offseason and how you felt coming into this season — this has surely already been better than what you anticipated.
There is hope. Though an unfamiliar concept to Sixers fans, it is something one can feel towards their favorite basketball team from time to time.
“It’s a good place when all you have is hope and not expectations.”
