Why The Philadelphia 76ers Can Make The Playoffs This Year
By Dan Schultz
While it initially might sound crazy, the Philadelphia 76ers have the talent needed to make the NBA Playoffs this year in a weak Eastern Conference
As their roster stands right now, the Philadelphia 76ers are far away from being contenders for the championship anytime soon.
No one is debating that.
This is a team that still has many issues and a lot to prove, especially to their long suffering fans who have had it with the tanking.
Currently, they are overloaded at both the power forward and center positions. They have to figure out a way to trade either Joel Embiid, Nerlens Noel or Jahlil Okafor for a quality point guard or shooting guard.
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Dario Saric is also an interesting piece that will demand considerable playing time, especially after an impressive showing at the Rio Olympics.
Time management, balanced lineups and trying to keep their key guys happy with playing time are three big things the Sixers must concentrate on as they move forward.
It is evident that rookie Ben Simmons is the guy they are going to build this team around, which is the right call. He is a brilliant talent with an incredible skill set, capable of playing every position except for center.
His versatility, especially in how he passes the ball, is what makes him such a unique player, and one that will eventually make a huge impact in the league.
Not only do the Sixers have a promising young core, they also secretly have one of the better coaches in the league in Brett Brown. The resiliency and positivism that Brown has shown during his three tumultuous seasons with the team has been simply astounding.
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He has proven to be an effective mentor to guys like Okafor and Noel. This is something he also did exceptionally well as an assistant coach with the
for nine seasons.
Now that Brown actually has legitimate talent on his roster, expect him to really start to show just how phenomenal he really is as a coach.
New general manager Bryan Colangelo has also done a splendid job adding quality veterans like Jerryd Bayless, Gerald Henderson and Sergio Rodriguez. While the Sixers’ backcourt is far from complete, these three will assist in building up the younger guys.
When looking at the East, the only team that jumps out as a true contender for the championship is the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics will most likely compete for the higher seeds in the conference.
The Charlotte Hornets, Indiana Pacers and maybe the Milwaukee Bucks will fight hard to get home-court advantage in the first round.
The Miami Heat will most likely suffer a lot after losing Dwyane Wade this summer, especially with Chris Bosh’s health still up in the air. The Atlanta Hawks unfortunately saw Al Horford go to the Celtics this offseason, which should knock them down a few pegs.
In other words, the seventh and eighth seeds out East should be very much up for grabs. It could very well become a free-for-all between the Heat, Hawks, Sixers, Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards and the Chicago Bulls.
After being a cellar dweller the last few seasons, the opportunity to make the playoffs should serve as a huge source of motivation for the Sixers and their hungry fan base.
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It might not happen this year, but don’t be surprised to see Philly on the rise again very soon, even if they are still very much a team in transition right now.