Philadelphia 76ers NBA Season Preview

This preview was written by Sixers Sense editor Josh Wilson. 

If there was any year that fans were more excited for Philadelphia 76ers basketball while still not expecting them to make it past the first round of the playoffs (and even that’s being hopeful) it’s this year. The idea of the franchise entering this new chapter–centered on first round draft pick and third overall pick Jahlil Okafor–is something special. The fans are a bit divided, but every day, it seems as if they are trusting general manager Sam Hinkie more, and finding reasoning for the roster moves he’s orchestrating and the reasoning behind holding so many draft picks and overseas players. It’s a theme known as “trusting the process.”

Last season ended dismally to say the least. The Sixers finished the season with just 18 wins, and started off the year by losing their first 17 games. There’s not a lot to say about this regular season other than, “it can’t get much worse than this.” Games were difficult to watch, a low powered offense left the team unable to score enough points to win many games, and their offensive rating was next to last (29th out of 30th) in the league, while their pace was sixth best. What this meant is that they were getting a lot of possession time, but making bad use of it, and not scoring on many plays.

Not one player scored more than 17 points per game, and only five got into double digit points by the end of the year. So what was needed for next year? Clearly, it was a revamped offense with some more spice on it. Still, the mentality that things could only go up from last year’s season was in the back of the minds of all fans.

Fans carried that optimism all throughout the offseason, ready to watch their team bounce back and finally start winning some games. This year, they’re armed with new players that should allow them to start their mission, and start finally winning games.

Although it looks like playoffs are still out of the question this year, the general hope is that within the next few years the Sixers will be competitors in the postseason. The seesaw starts tipping the other direction this year.

Biggest Offseason Move

For almost all Sixers fans at this point, the biggest offseason move is obvious, the drafting of Jahlil Okafor. It did, however, take a while to be accepted as a great move by the team, and as a valuable draft pick.

Coming into the draft, the Sixers had an obvious need to pick up a point guard that could lead the team in scoring, and push them to succeed offensively. DeAngelo Russell was the clear candidate, and the one that the Sixers should have gotten (at least, that’s what the popular opinion told us). Things didn’t go according to plan, and the Los Angeles Lakers picked up Russell before the Sixers had a chance to.

Plans changed quickly, and Okafor was picked up at number three overall. An uprising occurred, and at this point almost all fans who had any trust left in Hinkie began to lose it. Why draft Okafor, a true big man, when they already have one–Joel Embiid–who is supposed to be coming back from injury? Why not settle for the next best point guard, or try to strike up a deal with the Lakers to get Russell?

Little did fans know at the time that Embiid–who was supposed to return this season–had some major setbacks with his left foot navicular bone fracture. A few weeks later, it was reported that he would be missing yet another whole season of basketball due to this injury. It was when this news came out, that the Okafor move made sense, and the trusting of the process and in Hinkie was renewed. We finally saw how Okafor could fit into this system, and were happy to have this player who was coming fresh off of a championship at Duke.

The question still remains, what will happen when Embiid is back, and the Sixers have to deal with three big men in Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor, and Joel Embiid? Seemingly, it’s a problem for another day, and for now, Okafor is the big man expected to get the start.

It was a huge move because the offense will run through Okafor. He will get to touch the ball on almost every play, and he will have a chance to really own this team, and push it to success, if he is motivated to do so.

Offensive Breakdown/Defensive Breakdown

The offense is essentially all new this season. It will work through Okafor, and he’s expected to touch the ball on nearly every play, with plays running through him. While some teams like the Washington Wizards are finding value in stretching the floor and getting even their big men to demonstrate some range, the Sixers are still finding value in traditional big men that work best at the hoop.

Okafor does seem to have some sort of an accurate shot with range though, and even has shown in the preseason that his free throws aren’t as bad as they appeared in college, shooting 80% so far in the preseason.

Nerlens Noel will move to the four spot after playing center last season, and is fitting into the role nicely so far. He was in the gym, reportedly working on more of a mid-range jumper all season, which is encouraging since he only shot 27.3% from 16 feet to the three point zone last season.

Other than that, the starting lineup is somewhat of a mystery at this point, but the expectation is that offensively Okafor will be a constant that is able to push for more scoring.

Defensively, the Sixers weren’t all that bad last season, coming in at 13th out of 30 in defensive rating. They were boosted by some big blocks from Noel as he averaged 1.9 per game. The biggest expectation is again with Okafor, as he was called out for being lazy on defense at Duke, often not leaving his feet and allowing players to sink easy layups over him in the paint. The hope is that Okafor has been working hard to make sure he’s more of a defensive force to be reckoned with.

With Okafor working on his defense, and Noel still being as good as he was before, they could have one of the most frightening defensive and offensive front courts in the NBA.

Draft Picks

As discussed earlier, Okafor was a huge pickup for the Sixers, but at first he didn’t seem like a smart move. He certainly wasn’t the Sixers first choice, as Russell would have fit in nicely with Embiid and Noel. Embiid being injured for a year made Okafor a much more attractive option.

Okafor scored 17.3 points per game and had 8.5 rebounds in his only season at Duke, and he is expected to bring a modern spin on the classic big man roll and score at least double digit points this season in his rookie debut.

Arturas Gudaitis was the next pick up, brought in in the second round, but he was promptly traded to the Sacramento Kings in a large deal that brought in Nik Stauskas and Carl Landry to the Sixers.

Richaun Holmes was drafted after Okafor, and didn’t get as much attention as he should have, due to the infatuation that Sixers fans had over Okafor this offseason. In recent preseason games he’s gotten more attention since Okafor has sat out with a sore knee, but it seems like he’s still not getting a lot.

Holmes spent three years at Bowling Green University where he averaged 11.5 points per game and 6.9 rebounds. He shot well above 50% in his time there, and has some clear skills that include an accurate shot, and a tendency to get on the boards.

J.P. Tokoto was the next pick, and at first, it appeared that he would go overseas or to the D-League to play, but the Sixers were able to pull him into a deal that keeps his rights with the Sixers. He is trying his luck with the preseason, but it’s not likely that he stays on the team. The most likely thing to happen is Tokoto gets a D-League or overseas assignment (just like he planned on in the first place) and he is moved as a trade pawn or brought up at a later time when he is more developed by the Sixers.

Luka Mitrovic was the Sixers’ last draft pick, but was also traded to kings along with Gudaitis.

Key Offseason Additions/Losses

The Sixers were active in the free agency and trade markets this offseason, and the biggest trade they made is about one step away from being considered grand larceny. They practically stole Carl Landry and Nik Stauskas from the Sacramento Kings and had to give up next to nothing in the process.

The Kings got Arturas Gudaitis, Luka Mitrovic, and the rights to swap first round picks with the Sixers in 2016 or 2017.

Stauskas is expected to have a much better year than last year, which was a tough rookie debut where he only scored 4.4 points per game. After being pressured too much to be a shooter, he is expected to have more playing freedom in Philadelphia, and with this he should grow to be more comfortable, and take three pointers more naturally. They will not be as forced as they were before in Sacramento. This organic style of play will be huge in helping Stauskas.

Landry doesn’t have much left to offer, especially since he is the odd man out on the team at 32 years old. Landry probably won’t play much if he makes the final roster, but he will certainly be a veteran presence in the locker room. His impact won’t be as profound as Paul Pierce’s was on the Washington Wizards last year, but he could offer something from that realm.

The biggest loss for the team was Ish Smith’s departure. Smith was an unrestricted free agent, but the Sixers made little effort to re-sign him. Smith had a versatile style of play and would have been one of the leading options to start at point guard. Instead, Smith landed in Washington, where he isn’t likely to get a ton of playing time.

Smith became a fan favorite last year after coming in partway through the season and scoring 12 points per game, with 6.1 assists and 2.9 rebounds as a Sixer. He could have been useful, especially now that the two leading point guard options for the Sixers are out with injury, and will be for quite a while.

Most Important Games

October 28th @ Boston Celtics

Opening night is nearly here for the Sixers. Last year they started their season losing their first 17 games, so starting off this new season with a win could set the tone for a highly successful year. The Boston Celtics snuck into the playoffs last year, and the Sixers are hopeful that they are near this level too, so defeating them in the first game would be the first step in proving that.

December 13th @ Toronto Raptors

This game marks the beginning of a tough stretch for the Sixers. Although plenty of these exist throughout the season, the month of December is going to need some wins. This game is an important one for the same reason as the Boston game, it will give the team some momentum for the tough games that come following the Raptors. The Sixers have to face the Bulls, Hawks, Cavaliers, and Grizzlies, all within five games.

It’s going to be tough to face off against that many quality teams in such a short period of time, but it will be easier coming in with some momentum brought in by a win against the Raptors.

January 1st @ Los Angeles Lakers

Starting off the new year right is important, but this is also just the second time the Sixers will get a look at the Lakers. Facing off against D’Angelo Russell, Nick Young, and Kobe Bryant will be a sure challenge, but there’s a possibility the Sixers could win.

The matchup that is clearly one to watch here is Okafor against Roy Hibbert. Both are big men that will be battling all game for rebounds, and it will be a good chance for Okafor to make himself known as a force to be reckoned with, despite his young age.

February 19th @ New Orleans Pelicans

This is the first time Jah will be facing off against one of the best new big men in the league, Anthony Davis. Davis has taken the league by storm, and made himself one of the best young players right now. The New Orleans franchise is being built around Davis.

In a few years, we could see something similar with Okafor in Philadelphia. It would be nice to see Okafor take this matchup, and show that he can keep up with Davis, who averaged an incredible 24.4 points per game last season.

March 29th & April 1st vs. Charlotte Hornets

These games were paired because the Sixers play the Hornets in back to back games. Once in Philadelphia, and once in Charlotte. These will be important, because if history repeats itself, the Hornets should be battling for one of the final playoff spots available in the Eastern Conference.

At the same time, the Sixers are hoping they find themselves in that conversation as well. If it comes down to two teams, and it happens to be the Hornets and the Sixers battling for the eighth seed this late in the season, the Sixers could do themselves a huge favor by winning both games, and also setting the Hornets back two games in the process.

Everything about this pair of games screams playoff opportunity, at least as long as the Sixers are able to play their cards right during the year to position themselves that way.

Final Prediction

Don’t expect this team to surprise anyone too much this season. In fact, don’t expect them to even contend to make the playoffs, unless not much wrong at all goes wrong for them. Although the Eastern Conference is a weak group of teams, the Sixers are still not at the point of being competitive even with the eighth seed, without some major things falling into place.

One thing needed to make it into the playoffs is a consistent point guard, and that’s something the Sixers do not have. Kendall Marshall could have been that if he wasn’t starting off this year injured. Ish Smith was also a decent candidate, but the Sixers opted to not keep him on the team, which could end up being a big blow to the team now that their backcourt is crippled with injuries.

Luckily for the Sixers, they have some stretches of their schedule that set them up to go on a few win streaks. Using this momentum to their advantage, there’s a good chance they could win 23+ games. Additionally, Okafor could really surprise the league and be even better than he is expected to be.

Predicting this season for the Sixers is difficult, if not impossible. So many factors come into play. How will new faces like Okafor, Marshall and Stauskas fit into the system? Can Okafor and Noel coexist?  

I’m willing to safely bet on the Sixers winning 20 games, and would even go up to 25, granted no major injuries come to Okafor or Noel. Playoffs? That’s something I have a lot of trouble envisioning for the Sixers this season, but looking at the caliber of teams that were battling for the eighth seed last season, it’s not that far out for the Sixers to make the playoffs a reality in the next few years.

Fans may be skeptical of tuning in to watch Sixers games this season, but it would be smart to keep an eye on them. They have one of the league’s best front courts and a player who is competing to be the rookie of the year this season.

The bottom line? This will be the most entertaining sub-25 win NBA team ever.