Copyright The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Sixers fell to the Chicago Bulls, 113-111, Tuesday night — missing out on an opportunity to take sole possession of first place of the Eastern Conference and dropping their record to 5-2. Prior to the tough loss, that included blowing a 24-point lead, Kelly Oubre Jr. stated that “the vibes are immaculate” with the current Sixers team, a stark contrast to how last season finished. The Sixers also already have a contender for rookie of the year in VJ Edgecombe and an early MVP candidate in Tyrese Maxey. Not to mention a potential sixth man of the year candidate in Quentin Grimes. So just how good are the Sixers? Here’s where national outlets placed them in the latest batch of NBA power rankings … ESPN: Sixth The Sixers were 19th at ESPN before the season started, then skyrocketed to ninth after their undefeated start. Despite their loss on Tuesday — and their 1-2 record in their last three games — ESPN’s panel of NBA insiders still likes what it’s seen from the Sixers so far this season, moving them up three more spots to sixth in their rankings released Wednesday morning. “There have been few newcomers to make a bigger impact with their team this season than Edgecombe, the sensational rookie guard out of Baylor whom Philadelphia snagged with the third pick in June’s NBA draft,” Tim Bontemps wrote. “Edgecombe is making all of the pain of last season’s miserable campaign for the 76ers worth it, as he entered Tuesday night’s game averaging 20.3 points — miles ahead of anyone else in the class — while shooting over 49% overall and 42% from 3.” » READ MORE: Sixers’ Jared McCain ‘just grateful’ to play again after long recovery from knee and thumb surgeries Meanwhile, ESPN’s Kevin Pelton thinks the Sixers rookie could be headed to the All-Star Game this season. “No rookie has made the All-Star Game since Blake Griffin in 2010-11, and that came after a redshirt season due to injury,” Pelton wrote. “Yao Ming was voted an All-Star starter as a rookie in 2002-03, but before that, we have to go back to Tim Duncan in 1997-98 for a first-year player chosen by coaches. Edgecombe, taken third overall, has surpassed No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg as the most likely rookie to end that drought.” Since Edgecombe’s record-breaking debut, the Baylor product has continued to thrive on the court. Through seven games, Edgecombe is averaging 19.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 4.9 assists. NBC Sports: Sixth With the Sixers’ youth movement fueling the team’s success, it leaves a question looming over the organization: Could it be the end of an era? According to NBC Sports’ Kurt Helin, the answer is simple. “The future is now in Philly — the Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes backcourt trio is what is driving winning,” Helin wrote. “It’s small sample size theater, but the 76ers have a +22.3 net rating when those three share the court. And, once healthy, Jared McCain will join the party and the 76ers’ backcourt gets that much deeper and better. “Don’t expect some quick pivot away from the Joel Embiid and Paul George era — in part because everything could still come together, and in part because the massive contracts for those stars makes trading them challenging at best — but we have seen the future. So has Daryl Morey, and he has to recognize where this ship is headed.” In Helin’s power rankings, released Monday before the latest loss, the Sixers were ranked No. 6 — moving up four spots and trailing the Los Angeles Lakers (No. 5), and the Houston Rockets (No. 4). » READ MORE: Quentin Grimes flips season of uncertainty into steady role as sixth man and Sixers closer The Athletic: Seventh The Athletic’s weekly power rankings place teams within five different tiers, from “Top Contenders” to “Basement Floor.” After the team’s win over the Brooklyn Nets, the Sixers jumped from No. 14 to No. 7, securely inside the second tier — “In a good place” (not the be confused with The Good Place) — and sandwiched between the San Antonio Spurs (No. 6) and the Bulls (No. 8). “Philadelphia was going to lose one of these coin flip games at some point, and it’s only appropriate that the Celtics paid the Sixers back after their Week 1 encounter ended with Philly winning by one,” Law Murray wrote. “But the Sixers are starting to win games more decisively as well, and they are still keeping a spot warm for Paul George. “They need George to take some of the perimeter workload, because they have three of the top four minutes gas guzzlers in the league in Maxey (league-leading 42.4 per game), Edgecombe (second at 38.9) and Oubre (fourth at 38.1 per game).” In George’s first season in Philadelphia, the nine-time All-Star only played in 41 games — averaging 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists. He has yet to make his return this season. USA Today: 10th Over at USA Today, it appears Tuesday’s loss to the Bulls directly impacted the Sixers’ ranking, despite the team moving up three spots from 13th. “Blown 24-point lead against the Bulls spoils what had been an excellent start,” wrote Lorenzo Reyes. Reyes has the Sixers behind the New York Knicks (No. 8) and the Golden State Warriors (No. 9), but ahead of the Detroit Pistons (No. 11) and Minnesota Timberwolves (No. 12). » READ MORE: Sixers mailbag: Joel Embiid’s defense and limitations, Paul George’s expected role, and more NBA.com: 15th The Sixers moved up three spots from last week’s No. 18 ranking. With three of their first four wins coming from behind, trailing by double-digits in the fourth quarter, John Schuhmann seems worried about the sustainability of the Sixers early success. “All those comebacks require the Sixers’ scorers to play to the wire and Tyrese Maxey (42.4), VJ Edgecombe (38.9), and Kelly Oubre Jr. (38.1) rank first, second, and fourth in minutes per game,” Schuhmann wrote. “The Sixers have scored 19.7 more points per 100 possessions with Maxey on the floor (124.2) than they have with him on the bench.” The Sixers trail behind the Portland Trailblazers (No. 14), the Chicago Bulls (No. 13), and the Detroit Pistons (No. 12).
