Philadelphia 76ers: 3 bold predictions for 2019-20 NBA season

2. 76ers to lead the league in defensive efficiency

Despite posting back-to-back 50-plus win seasons, one area in which the Philadelphia 76ers took a backward step last season was at the defensive end of the floor.

After ranking third in 2017-18 with a 103.9 defensive rating, the Sixers dropped all the way to 14th last season after returning a 109.0 rating.

One of the major explanations for such a decline was the lack on continuity throughout the season. Just a month into the season, Robert Covington and Dario Saric were dealt away in exchange for Jimmy Butler.

Then at the trade deadline, the Sixers welcomed aboard forward Tobias Harris, thus creating more challenges for coach Brett Brown and the players to adjust on the fly and try to form some cohesion in the midst of the season.

As mentioned earlier, their major offseason moves thus far have indicated that the defensive end is where they want to make their mark. In Al Horford and Josh Richardson, the Sixers are adding two of the better performing defenders at their respective positions.

While Horford will start alongside Joel Embiid at the 4-spot, his ability to slide over to the center position when Embiid is resting will be enormous positive for the Sixers.

So while the Sixers were 5.6 points per 100 possessions better off defensively with Embiid on the court during the regular season, this jumped to an astonishing 26.9 points per 100 possessions during the postseason.

But with the luxury of having Horford able to fill in when necessary, this presents a luxury the Sixers simply haven’t enjoyed since Embiid made his debut in 2016-17.

Then there’s the overall length of the starting five as a whole. With Ben Simmons, Richardson, Tobias Harris, Horford and Embiid either roaming the perimeter or protecting the paint, leading the league in defensive rating is certainly a very plausible achievement.