The Philadelphia 76ers made numerous appearances on the 2022-23 NBA GM survey. Lead executives answered questions about players and teams for the upcoming season, and the Sixers got good reviews from many angles.
Joel Embiid coming in a distant second place to Nikola Jokic for the best center in the NBA title shows that he still has something to prove. Still, he was near the top of many other rankings. Tyrese Maxey got a vote for being most likely to have a breakout season and for being the fastest with the ball, James Harden got at least one vote for being the best shooting guard, while the Sixers received a vote for the best home-court advantage.
Joel Embiid's rankings in here
-2nd in best center in NBA (behind Jokic, who got 79% of the votes. Jo got 17%)
-3rd in who will win MVP (behind Luka and Giannis)
– tied for 4th (with Luka) for players that coaches make the most adjustments for (behind Steph, Giannis, Jokic) https://t.co/wVZd90Kgbh— Sam DiGiovanni (@BySamDiGiovanni) October 4, 2022
The GM survey shows that the Sixers are one of the better teams in the league and that Embiid is one of the best overall players. There are plenty more takeaways for how opposing general managers see Daryl Morey's squad for the 2022-23 campaign. Here are the three most revealing ones.
3. P.J. Tucker is seen as a true difference maker
NBA general managers made it clear that they very much liked the Sixers' offseason addition of P.J. Tucker. The veteran 3-and-D specialist is seen as one of the best offseason additions.
Tucker was tied for second in the question of “most underrated player acquisition” and fourth in the question of which newcomer will make the biggest impact. Even with numerous All-Stars being traded this offseason, it's the 37-year-old, undersized forward who some opposing GMs think will help his new team the most.
Tucker received great reviews from many of his Sixers teammates during Media Day and the start of training camp. His leadership is perhaps what Philadelphia will benefit from the most. As a leader both by example and vocally, he will help bring about a culture of toughness to the franchise. His defense and 3-point shooting are certainly helpful, too.
The Sixers tied for second in the category of the team that made the best overall offseason moves. Another newcomer, De'Anthony Melton, placed fourth in the underrated acquisition question.
2. GMs not anticipating Sixers' defensive excellence
When asked what team will be the best defensive team this season, 69 percent of respondents said the Boston Celtics. The Golden State Warriors placed second with 10 percent of the vote, and the Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, LA Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies all received votes as well. No love for the Sixers in that question.
The Grizzlies are a bit of a surprising pick considering Jaren Jackson Jr.'s recent injury, but they were still one of the best teams on that end of the floor last year, as were the other teams receiving votes. The Sixers ranked behind all of them in defensive rating.
Perhaps the Sixers have to prove that they are the elite defensive team that they want to be before getting recognized for it. Although they weren't bad defensively last season, they didn't contend for being one of the top units. Based on the appreciation they got for their new additions, it would have made sense for them to receive at least one vote. Instead, they'll just have to make their case to be at the top of the list when next year's survey rolls around.
1. No one is totally sure how good the Sixers will be
The most popular answer to the question of “Which team’s level of success this season is toughest to predict?” was the Brooklyn Nets. The Sixers can have a nice giggle about that, but they should know that they were tied for the fourth-most popular answer. The Nets' volatility is clearly ahead of the Sixers' question marks, but some of the other voting results suggest that GMs aren't sure if they are true title contenders or not.
Although Tucker and Melton were seen as some of the biggest offseason additions, the Sixers didn't get any consideration for being the top defensive team nor were they anyone's pick to be the champion or the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The GMs predicted the Sixers to rank third behind the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics. The uncertainty with how Harden will perform this year, or perhaps any injury concerns about Embiid, could be to blame.
Whether the Sixers have truly turned a corner or are just a little bit better than last year is unclear to the GMs based on the poll results. Still, Philadelphia is eager to prove that they are indeed a true title contender this season with Embiid leading a revamped supporting cast.
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