The quick read
- The 76ers won 45 games, came back from 3-1 down to beat Boston, then got swept by the Knicks.
- Jaylen Brown came over from Boston for Paul George, and LeBron James signed for the minimum in his 24th season.
- Our call: around 50 wins, the No. 2 seed in the East, and a trip to the conference finals.
The 76ers open the season the way they ended the last one: at Madison Square Garden. They play the Knicks on Oct. 20, and they’ll have to watch New York raise a championship banner before tip-off. The last time these teams met, the Knicks swept them in the second round. Our Sixers preview explains what we should be excited about.
Philadelphia answered with a makeover. There’s a new team president, Jaylen Brown and LeBron James are in the starting five, and Nick Nurse is still the coach. On paper, this is one of the most talented teams in the East. On the court, it all depends on health.
Last season: 45 wins and a comeback
Last season by the numbers
- 45-37 Record, 7th in the East
- -0.2 Net rating, 18th in the NBA
- 115.4 Offensive rating, 17th in the NBA
- 115.5 Defensive rating, 16th in the NBA
- 23-18 At home (22-19 on the road)
- 34.9% From three, on 35.3 tries a game
Ratings are points scored and allowed per 100 possessions. Net rating is the difference. Source: Basketball-Reference.
The Philadelphia 76ers won 24 games the year before, so 45 wins was a 21-win jump. But the numbers underneath were plain average. They scored about as many points as they gave up, and a net rating near zero is what a .500 team looks like.
Health was the story again. Joel Embiid played 38 games because of his knee, then had his appendix removed in April and missed the play-in. Paul George was suspended 25 games for violating the league’s anti-drug policy and played 37. Tyrese Maxey carried the load. He scored 28.3 points a game, fifth in the NBA, and made third-team All-NBA. Rookie VJ Edgecombe, the No. 3 pick, added 16.0 a game and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting.
The playoffs were a roller coaster. Philadelphia beat Orlando in the play-in, then fell behind No. 2 seed Boston 3-1 in the first round. They won the next three. It was the first time the franchise ever came back from 3-1 down, and its first series win over Boston since 1982. Then the Knicks swept them, with Embiid sitting out Game 2 with ankle and hip soreness.
Sixers preview: The roster
Starters: Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, LeBron James, Joel Embiid.
| Player | G | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaylen Brown | 71 | 34.4 | 28.7 | 6.9 | 5.1 | 47.7 | 34.7 |
| Tyrese Maxey | 70 | 38.0 | 28.3 | 4.1 | 6.6 | 46.2 | 36.7 |
| Joel Embiid | 38 | 31.6 | 26.9 | 7.7 | 3.9 | 48.9 | 33.3 |
| LeBron James | 60 | 33.2 | 20.9 | 6.1 | 7.2 | 51.5 | 31.7 |
| VJ Edgecombe | 75 | 35.0 | 16.0 | 5.6 | 4.2 | 43.8 | 35.4 |
That’s four players who scored 20 or more a game last season, plus a rookie who scored 16. Maxey is the engine. He plays fast and gets into the paint whenever he wants. Brown had a career year in Boston and gives them a second wing scorer who can create his own shot. James, who turns 42 in December, is still a passer first, with 7.2 assists a game. Embiid is the best scorer on the team when he plays. Edgecombe is the young legs, and he’ll guard a lot of the other team’s best perimeter players.
The question a scout raised to SI is the right one: with this many scorers, who takes the last shot? Nurse has to sort that out.
Bench: Anfernee Simons, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Dean Wade, Adem Bona, Dominick Barlow, Justin Edwards, Jabari Walker, Labaron Philon Jr.
| Player | G | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anfernee Simons | 49 | 24.5 | 14.2 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 44.0 | 39.5 |
| Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | 51 | 21.3 | 8.4 | 2.5 | 2.7 | 41.0 | 31.6 |
| Dominick Barlow | 71 | 23.8 | 7.7 | 4.8 | 1.2 | 53.9 | 25.6 |
| Justin Edwards | 64 | 15.3 | 6.0 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 44.7 | 37.2 |
| Dean Wade | 59 | 22.3 | 5.8 | 4.2 | 1.5 | 43.9 | 36.2 |
| Adem Bona | 71 | 17.4 | 4.8 | 4.3 | 0.5 | 59.5 | 33.3 |
| Jabari Walker | 64 | 11.9 | 4.3 | 3.0 | 0.5 | 45.5 | 33.7 |
Simons will run the second unit. Bona is the backup center, a big job since Embiid’s minutes will be managed.
Health heading into the opener: Embiid and James look healthy. Edgecombe is sore but expected to start. Simons (hamstring) and Bona practiced and could play. Wade has a sore ankle and didn’t practice. Barlow and Tacko Fall missed the preseason. Ariel Hukporti, signed from New York, tore his Achilles and is out for the season.
What changed: roster and coaching
Only about 56% of last season’s minutes are back. The players who left played about 8,700 of last season’s roughly 19,900 minutes, around 44%. That’s a lot of turnover for a playoff team. Kelly Oubre Jr. (to Indiana), Quentin Grimes (to the Lakers) and George alone played close to 4,900 of those minutes.
The big trade: Brown for George. Philadelphia sent George, two first-round picks (the Clippers’ 2028 pick and its own 2031 pick) and two second-round picks to Boston for Brown. Brown averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists last season, all career highs. He’s also six years younger than George.
LeBron came cheap. James signed for two years at the minimum, with a player option in year two. A player option means he can choose to leave after this season. It’s his record 24th season.
The bench got rebuilt. Wade signed for four years and $38.7 million using the mid-level exception, which is the main tool teams have to sign free agents once they’re over the salary cap. Simons signed for two years, and Caldwell-Pope signed for one year after Memphis bought him out. Philon, the No. 22 pick from Alabama, played well in Summer League but should get limited minutes early. Kyle Lowry retired.
On the bench: Nurse is back for his fourth season. The front office is new. Daryl Morey was fired in May after the sweep, and Mike Gansey, who was Cleveland’s general manager, became president of basketball operations. Nurse added Dice Yoshimoto, a former Knicks assistant, as an assistant and head video coordinator.
Coach’s prediction
Four 20-point scorers and a 41-year-old who still runs the offense. If Embiid plays 55 games, this is a 50-win team.
Coach’s whiteboard
The betting line is 50.5 wins, second in the East behind New York. ESPN’s expert panel put the 76ers second in the East back in August. SI’s panel was cooler, at 49-33 and fourth.
We land in the same spot as the books. The top of this roster is as good as anyone’s in the East. The risk is the same as always: Embiid hasn’t played 40 regular-season games since 2022-23, and James is 41. The good news is that Brown and Maxey give them a floor when the big names sit.
Our pick: 50-32, second in the East, and a run to the conference finals. We have them beating Boston again in the second round, then losing to the Knicks.
Watch for: Embiid’s games played, who gets the ball late in close games, and whether Bona can hold up as the backup center.
