The Philadelphia 76ers have had one heck of an offseason thus far. The Sixers may not have had the same shock value as the Brooklyn Nets, who snagged both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, or the Los Angeles Clippers, who rocked the league by landing both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
However, don't be fooled. Philly's front office has made some tremendous moves this summer, and they have certainly improved their team for the upcoming season, thereby propelling themselves in the conversation as one of the favorites to go all the way this year.
Brand Knows Best
Philly has been trusting The Process for a while now, and it is due time that they put their complete faith in team general manager Elton Brand — if they haven't already. The former Sixers star has proven he knows what he's doing, and the moves he has made this offseason is further testament to the fact that he is indeed one of the best team executives in the league today.
For one, many expected the Sixers would choose to retain the services of Jimmy Butler — now with the Miami Heat — over Tobias Harris. However, with Butler wanting to go to the Heat, Brand pivoted by re-signing Harris and adding another potent wing weapon in Josh Richardson (16.6 points, 2.2 3-pointers, 3.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.5 blocks last season with the Heat). Phlly did lose JJ Redick in free agency, but Richardson is not a bad replacement at all.
More significantly, by successfully convincing five-time All-Star big man Al Horford to sign with them, the Sixers have just formed one of the most dynamic frontcourts in the NBA today. This was certainly an A+ move for Philly, and a Horford-Joel Embiid combination is definitely something that has the rest of the league on notice.
The Beasts of the East
With how they have orchestrated their offseason thus far, the Sixers have lifted themselves to become arguably the best team in the East right now. They were already a powerhouse last season, but they just took it to another level this summer.
Kawhi headed out West, which practically took the defending champs, the Toronto Raptors, out of contention. Durant isn't likely to figure in the Nets' plans this season, leaving Kyrie Irving as the team's lone superstar. The Milwaukee Bucks took a significant hit when they lost Malcolm Brogdon to the Indiana Pacers. The Celtics — with Kemba Walker replacing Kyrie Irving — appear to be on the radar, but right now, the Sixers should be the favorite to come out of the Eastern Conference to reach the NBA Finals.
Still Boils Down to Ben and Joel
With all that has gone down, one thing remains constant for the Sixers. This is that, ultimately, their future rests in the hands of their two young stars — Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.
It is tantamount for Simmons to add a jump shot to his game. Heck, he just needs to start attempting shots from deep. This is especially true given he's about to get a massive contract extension.
As for Embiid, his health has always been his Achilles heel, and he must do everything in his power to make sure he enters the new season in the best form of his life.
Brand and company can do all they can to surround these two with the best supporting cast, but at the end of the day, it is still their development that will dictate the heights this team can reach.
It's not going to be a cakewalk for Philly this season, as they will face a set of formidable foes along the way. Reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and company will have a thing or two to say about that, so even bagging the Eastern Conference championship is already going to be tough. We're not even going to get started about the West here.
Nevertheless, the fact still remains that the Sixers' front office has hit it out of the ballpark this summer. Instead of panicking when Jimmy Butler went elsewhere, they composed themselves and somehow worked their way into further upgrading their roster for the coming year. Kudos to the front office for the work they have done this summer.
Follow Us
Subscribe