The Philadelphia 76ers are currently less than three weeks away from kicking off their 2025-26 season after signing Quentin Grimes to a qualifying offer earlier this week. Philadelphia may very well have the biggest disparity between their potential floor and ceiling due to their immense talent but the volatility of their health.
Last year, the 76ers suffered through a brutal campaign defined by injuries and ineptitude and ultimately missed out on the postseason altogether. Recently, Yaron Weitzman of The Ringer broke down how all of the losing had an effect on even the 76ers' most positive players.
“The losing—and everything both causing it and surrounding it—wore on everyone. Even Maxey, famous for his smile as much as for his speed, occasionally sulked. ‘I’ve never lost in my career,' he said recently. He was so broken, he now says, that he spent part of his summer focusing on his mental health,” reported Weitzman.
Indeed, Maxey's infectious energy was especially absent down the stretch of last season, when Philadelphia essentially benched their starting lineup in an effort to tank for a better spot in the draft. Their incompetence was rewarded with the number three overall pick, which they used to draft VJ Edgecombe and add to their logjam of combo guards currently on the roster.
Can the 76ers compete?
In theory, a team with Joel Embiid, Paul George, Tyrese Maxey, and a considerable amount of young guard talent should be able to compete, especially in an injury-weakened Eastern Conference.
Unfortunately, the game is played on paper and not in theory, and murmurs are already occurring surrounding the health of both Embiid and George before the season has even kicked off.
Embiid has missed the majority of Philadelphia's games since his 2023 NBA MVP award, and George looked to be on the short list for worst (or best, from his perspective) contracts in recent sports history with his performance last year for the 76ers.
In any case, the 76ers are slated to kick off their 2025-26 season with a road game against the divisional rival Boston Celtics on October 22.
