The 2024-25 NBA season is here! We break down the biggest questions, best and worst case scenarios and fantasy prospects for all 30 teams. Enjoy!
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
2023-24 end
Offseason moves
Additions: Paul George, Caleb Martin, Guerschon Yabusele, Eric Gordon, Reggie Jackson, Andre Drummond, Jared McCain, Adem Bona
Subtractions: Tobias Harris, Buddy Hield, Nicolas Batum, De’Anthony Melton, Robert Covington, Paul Reed, Cameron Payne, Mo Bamba
Complete roster
The Big Question: Can Joel Embiid dominate a full season?
Everything, for once, is in place around Joel Embiid.
The 76ers cleared their books for one swing at whatever roster they wanted around Embiid and Tyrese Maxey — just this summer, before Maxey signed his $204 million contract. And they humanized it, adding the best free agent available, Paul George, a perfect fit among their existing stars.
Not only that but they stuffed Caleb Martin, Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon, Reggie Jackson and the surprise of the Paris Olympics, Frenchman Guerschon Yabusele, into their remaining salary cap space. They also retained Kyle Lowry and Kelly Oubre Jr. and drafted Jared McCain, who appears NBA-ready.
They gave Embiid everything he wanted when, sitting next to George during the NBA Finals, he told a national television audience, “Hopefully this offseason we find a way to get better and add some pieces.”
The 2023 NBA MVP now has a pair of All-Stars flanking him, just as he did in 2019, when his Sixers fell one shot short of his first conference finals appearance, at the top of the kind of roster you build when you build. expect to compete for a championship – filled with familiar veterans and some upside.
Embiid is without excuses, even though he’s had them built in for years now. His story to end each season:
2015: Fractured right foot
2016: Fractured right foot
2017: Torn left meniscus
2018: Fractured orbital bone and concussion
2019: Tendinitis of the left knee and viral gastroenteritis
2020: Global pandemic
2021: Torn right meniscus
2022: Fractured orbital bone and torn thumb ligament
2023: Sprained right knee
2024: Torn left meniscus
Some of these, including both facial fractures, are freak accidents. What is clear, however: Joel Embiid’s legs as a basketball player are on borrowed time. We can debate whether his injuries are the result of poor conditioning or just the natural order for an athletic 7-footer who carries close to 300 pounds. Either way, Embiid has trouble lasting the biggest games of his career, let alone series. Not just four rounds.
So now is the time. Embiid is 30 years old. He might be on the other side of this getting better.
When healthy, he was a monster. From 2020-23, he averaged 30.9 points (on 42/36/84 shooting splits), 10.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.5 blocks and one steal per game, finishing top-two in MVP voting each season. And he was better to start last season, scoring more than a point per minute. Then, he tore the meniscus in one of his knees for the third time in his career. Turns out chasing awards that require 65 games played and the minutes of a superstar load wasn’t the best thing for a vulnerable behemoth.
So it was refreshing to hear this from Embiid, who was 25-30 pounds lighter at media day: “We have to do whatever it takes to make sure that in the postseason I’m healthy. This year, there’s no agenda. There’s no All- Star. There is nothing to make sure I get to that point.
So here we are. Embiid has a championship-caliber team around him and a franchise committed to spending its season in service of his health. They just gave him a three-year, $193 million extension that goes past his 34th birthday. If he can’t shed his identity this season as the only MVP to never reach a conference finals, at what point do we stop expecting an outcome other than disappointment?
Best case scenario
All — specifically Embiid and the 34-year-old George — remain healthy. That’s all that matters. If everyone is available at the time of the final, the 76ers have the talent to win a series of finals against anyone. Will they win four? That depends. Can Embiid close games as well as he starts them? Is Maxey ready for the brightest of spotlights? How well does George develop chemistry with the two of them? Can the supporting cast contribute? If the answer to all of the above is yes, the Sixers can absolutely win a title.
If everything falls apart
Embiid breaks down … again. George is past his prime or too injured to tell if he is. Maxey’s development hits a snag. They can’t find a rhythm together. Philadelphia’s collection of complementary players — Martin and Oubre, in particular — have more name recognition than total contributions. They are susceptible to five-out offenses. The Sixers stall in the first or second round … again. And we wonder why they committed $715 million to an injury-prone big, 34-year-old wing and an undersized guard.
A fancy spin
Adding George raises Philly’s fantasy floor. Maxey’s efficiency suffered whenever Embiid was off the floor. As for Embiid, he is consistently one of the league’s highest-usage players, but that workload often leads to injury. George is a key piece who fills a variety of roles as a 3-and-D specialist, playmaker and shot creator for the Sixers.
Embiid is fifth in my rankings, with George coming in as a late second-round pick, followed by Maxey as an early third-round pick. Oubre Jr. is the only other player garnering any fantasy interest and his ADP is in the 13th round. – And Titus
schedule 2024-25
Joel Embiid won 53 games once in a season when he was the league’s MVP, and admitted he won’t be chasing that award — or any recognition but playoff success — again this year. Take the below.
