Following the announcement about the NBA Christmas games for this year, the Philadelphia 76ers became a surprise part of the list of teams that will see action on that day.

With the lack of success they’ve had recently and missing out on the playoffs the past five seasons, they were not expected by many to be given a marquee matchup, as well as national TV coverage on December 25th.

However, with the vast improvement they had shown last season, and the promising lineup they have now, it has given their supporters a lot of reason to be excited about, and many are looking forward to seeing them at full strength. That said, it has intrigued the fans to find out how they’ll fare, especially on the big stage, making the NBA reward them with their first Christmas day game since 2001.

The impressive rookie season of Joel Embiid has brought a lot of optimism in Philadelphia. With Ben Simmons expected to play his first game in October, and the addition of this year’s top overall pick, Markelle Fultz, it adds more hype to the team. Many are also believing that this would be the campaign where they will establish themselves as a team of the future, and make a lot of noise in the Eastern Conference.

If the Sixers are to be successful in winning more games, and even making a postseason appearance, it can be expected that they will be featured in more games on TNT or ESPN. They could also become a fixture on the holiday schedule, and emerge as a must-watch team starting this year, given their young and talented players making up their core.