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The 76ers entered last season with a brand new Big Three and big expectations to match. They appeared to be a shoo-in for the postseason and a potential contender in the Eastern Conference. Neither projection came to pass as injuries sat down Joel Embiid and Paul George for much of the year, and left Tyrese Maxey, Quentin Grimes and Co. to gut out most of the season before giving up on the season and resorting to tanking. That said, this season appears to be much more of a mystery. After down seasons, Embiid and George have both vowed to come back stronger and help the Sixers win. Maxey has another All-Star caliber performance under his belt and Grimes has something to play for after signing his one-year qualifying offer. The Inquirer’s staff took a shot at predicting how this season will turn out for one of the NBA’s most enigmatic franchises. » READ MORE: VJ Edgecombe outpacing Sixers expectations — and bringing his lofty goals into view Gina Mizell, Sixers beat writer Record: 43-39 Postseason performance: First round Consider me somebody who agrees with the league’s general managers, who in their annual NBA.com preseason survey overwhelmingly voted the Sixers as the team whose outlook is toughest to predict in the 2025-26 season. Maybe I’m irrationally optimistic about Joel Embiid’s recent return to the court; it’s almost more important that he fully practiced two days after playing his preseason debut. But I see the Sixers carefully navigating their stars’ health throughout the regular season, executing a high-tempo style that can better survive those absences, and making it out of the play-in tournament. Then, they put a scare into the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks (remember how fun that series was two years ago) or Orlando Magic, before falling in that first-round series. At the very least, the Sixers will be a much more entertaining watch with Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes, and (eventually) Jared McCain in the backcourt. Everybody who slogged through last season’s misery deserves that. Keith Pompey, Sixers beat writer Record: 44-38 Postseason Performance: First round No one, not even Sixers coach Nick Nurse or star player Joel Embiid can come close to accurately predicting how this season will go. That’s because there are way too many uncertainties surrounding the health and level of play Embiid and Paul George. But in what is expected to be a wide-open Eastern Conference, the Sixers should have a chance to clinch the sixth seed and avoid the NBA Play-In Tournament. But clinching a first-round berth might be the ceiling, barring a few miracles. The Sixers just aren’t deep enough to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, and Detroit Pistons in a playoff series. And they might have a tough time defeating the Milwaukee Bucks if Giannis Antetokounmpo plays at an MVP level. Marcus Hayes, Inquirer columnist Record: 38-44 Postseason performance: Non-participant Any preseason prediction regarding this 76ers season is a fool’s errand. Joel Embiid is in better shape, but, given his injury history and proclivity, is unlikely to play in even 60 games. Paul George has a bad knee, he’s 35, and he’ll be lucky to play in 40 games. Jared McCain, the only young player with proven NBA upside, has been hurt twice (knee, thumb), and no one know’s when he’ll be back. Which leaves the team with Tyrese Maxey, rookie project V.J. Edgecombe, and various Kelly Oubre Jr. types. If the stars align, the Sixers will make the playoffs, win a round, maybe even two. If the stars remain crossed, they’ll miss the postseason. Given the 13 years of curses they’ve earned trying to beat the system with The Process, a disaster in both concept and execution, expecting the stars to uncross at this point is as foolhardy as any serious attempt at predicting an outcome of any season. » READ MORE: Can Nick Nurse work his magic to overcome the Sixers’ injuries and lack of on-court chemistry? Gabriella Carroll, Inquirer staff writer Record: 42-40 Postseason performance: First round Last season, basically everything that could go wrong did go wrong for the Sixers. This season feels virtually impossible to predict, because the variance in outcomes is so wide. The Sixers could keep Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, and VJ Edgecombe mostly healthy this year, and get just enough games from Joel Embiid and Paul George to stay playoff competitive. They could have the disastrous injury luck of the 2024-25 season, and end up back in the lottery. Who knows, maybe they get supremely lucky and almost everyone is available all year? That feels like a bridge too far for the Sixers. But in what looks like it could be a down year for the Eastern Conference, making the Play-In and winning a game feels doable.
