7. Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers haven’t been a playoff team since 2012. That should all change this year, barring an epic collapse. All that’s left is projecting how high or low they will go. This season, they’re a team that should be a low-seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Sixers are 38-30, currently sixth in the Eastern Conference. They have won two games in a row, putting them at 6-3 in March. While their win-total is up, their ability to closeout games could come back to haunt them down the stretch.
In the fourth quarter of games, Philadelphia is generating an offensive rating of 102.1. That rank 29th in the NBA, slightly above the Memphis Grizzlies. It’s something that needs to change if they hope for future success.
It’s hard to believe the Philadelphia 76ers are such an inefficient team closing out games with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons on the roster, but they are. Even though the team ranks 10th in the league in points per game (108.1) and third in assists per game (26.0), its biggest struggle is scoring efficiency. The Sixers will need to clean it up if they hope to improve their playoff stature before April.