The NBA Eastern Conference has gotten off to an infamously slow start in 2024-2025 and the 2-7 Philadelphia 76ers are not helping the situation. The 76ers' early struggles and losses are obviously not ideal but ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins believes it can become much worse than it already is.
While nobody expected Philadelphia to open the year with a 2-7 record, Perkins believes they are in danger of becoming one of the biggest letdowns in NBA history.
“You have to capitalize on the moment now,” Perkins said on ‘First Take.' “They don't have a choice. If they don't make it to the Conference Finals — at least this season, and that's the bare minimum — they would be considered one of the biggest failures in NBA history. I would put them right up there with the Brooklyn Nets [when they had] KD, Kyrie and James Harden.”
After losing to the New York Knicks in the first round of the 2024 playoffs, the 76ers acquired Paul George in free agency to hopefully turn themselves into title contenders. However, George has played just four of the team's first nine games while former MVP Joel Embiid has yet to make his season debut.
Despite Perkins' warning on the team's shortcomings, the 76ers are arguably not even the biggest disappointment in the Eastern Conference early on. The Milwaukee Bucks have begun the year at 2-8 and currently own the second-worst record in the NBA.
76ers face Knicks in 10th game of 2024-2025
If the 76ers wish to avoid the same early fate as the Bucks, their 10th game of the season has become a must-win scenario. While Perkins' target for the team of making the Eastern Conference Finals is a far stretch at this point in the season, another loss be disastrous for a team that had preseason championship aspirations.
Even this early in the year, Philadelphia might already be in a make-or-break position. The team's 10th game of the season against the Knicks will be a prime-time game on national television with Embiid expected to make his debut.
Both of the team's wins on the year have come in overtime, meaning they have yet to win a game in regulation. That includes the 76ers' most recent outing entering their clash with the Knicks, a 107-105 overtime win over the Charlotte Hornets.
While their wins have been in close games, five of the 76ers' seven early losses have been by double digits. The narrow victories are encouraging for a team wishing to compete with the best but being blown out as many times as they have been is clearly unideal.
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