With Paul George’s acquisition, Philadelphia had some high expectations for last season, as the team hadn’t had such an elite forward on the roster since Jimmy Butler. Their hopes were immediately crushed as their main players were never healthy and the Sixers lacked the required depth to compensate for these absences: Joel Embiid missed 63 games, Paul George missed 41 games and Tyrese Maxey missed 30 games, with the Sixers only end up winning 24 games last season in a shocking year for them.
For the new season, the front office decided to keep their core of players, so they expect their Big Three to have an injury free season so they can go back to being an elite team in the East. Philadelphia seems to lack once again an alternative system to Embiid, as his backups will be Andre Drummond and Adem Bona, with both players lacking a shooting range that could allow the team to go into a different direction if necessary.
It is however in the perimeter where the Sixers have improved. Quentin Grimes was their best player in the second half of the season and he was re-signed. Jared McCain was also primed to be the rookie of the year last season before getting hurt and being out for the remainder of the season. He is now back and could be a 6th man of the year candidate.
The only good news from last season for the team is that they could select VJ Edgecombe with the #3 pick. The rookie quickly showed in the preseason that he can make an instant impact on both ends of the floor. Note that last season, Philadelphia was being forced to start Eric Gordon. Now the team will clearly have a much more athletic backcourt.
However, the X factor for the Sixers this season will be connected with Embiid and George being able to remain healthy. Philadelphia really needs them to stay on court as they lack depth on their positions. Embiid seems to be healthy to start the season, but George is already struggling with a knee injury. Philadelphia can make some noise in the East this season, but only if both these players can remain on the court for long.