Preview of the Philadelphia 76ers

 

A team that just seems like they can never get it done, the Philadelphia 76ers walk in to the 2023-24 NBA season with a very similar team that they marched out last year. But last year like previous years, they came up short and this time at the hands of the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. 

One major shakeup within the 76ers organization was the firing of Doc Rivers and the hiring of Nick Nurse. Rivers was not the coach for the job and year after year was never able to get it done, so the Sixers decided to hire an in-division coach in Nick Nurse for the job. Nurse won the finals back in 2019 with the Raptors, but just walked into a team that has a lot of drama going on. 

Although the rumors and discussions going on around the league about possible huge shakeups with this Sixers team, nothing has really changed besides the coaching situation. James Harden has wanted out as a Sixer and expressed that in a video that got leaked to social media, but nothing has been done with that situation. 

Year after year, Joel Embiid's frustrations continue to mount as the process continues to be nowhere near completed. Many thought they he could be on the move, but it would take a lot of time and effort to possibly move him elsewhere. 

This is a team that could definitely look very different if they do not meet expectations midseason or potentially try to upgrade during this time. Playing in such a tough Eastern Conference with so many contenders, it is hard for the Sixers to play at this high level consistently and when it matters most come playoff time. 

On paper, the Sixers are one of the best teams in the league, but when it comes to putting it together on the court in the biggest moments, they do not succeed. I believe that this Sixers team will look much different at some point this season with it either being shipping one of their better players such as Embiid or Harden out to a different team, or trying to make a splash and upgrade this team. Whatever it is, the Sixers are going to make headlines this season.