The Philadelphia 76ers are set to begin training camp on Oct. 1 for what will assuredly be the most important season of the Joel Embiid era. Daryl Morey and Co. spent their entire summer granting the wishes of Sixers fans with various additions and extensions.
With no games to be played, the Sixers front office did all they could to set themselves up for championship-level success. And now that the games are looming, it is time to cash in on the bets they made. Here are five wishes that the Sixers need to (finally) grant their fans this upcoming season.
No social media laughing stock moments
The most frustrating thing every year with the Sixers is having to parse words and read between the lines on what should be simple messaging from the team. They are not a very transparent organization- especially when it comes to protecting their players- and it has led to them getting dragged through the mud on social media numerous times over the years.
Just last season, in the weeks leading up to Joel Embiid’s injury against the Warriors, the team was unwilling to disclose the other issues plaguing him at the time. He dropped 41 points and ten assists on the reigning champion Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets, dominated Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs to the tune of a career-high 70 points, and looked like his normal MVP-level self against the Pacers despite taking a loss. With Embiid seemingly firing on all cylinders, he is finally going to play a game in Denver, Colorado, for the first time since he and Jokic became world-beaters. Right?! Nope!
Cue the social media laughing stock moment as it felt like just mere minutes before tipoff in Denver, Embiid was ruled out. It felt like a slap in the face to NBA fans and seemed to validate why the Embiid-Jokic conversation has become so toxic. It could have all been avoided with a little more intel from the team.
Embiid proceeds to sit the next game in Portland and, after getting ripped apart by the media for days, forces himself to go out there against the Warriors for a game he had no business playing in. He tore his meniscus, and the season was pretty much doomed from there.
No more of that, please.
Have fun again
This one is simple. The fan experience is better when the people on your team enjoy each other. It is so easy to invest in a group that is winning and having fun while they do it. The Sixers in Joel Embiid’s career have not had much fun. Ben Simmons and James Harden have a lot to do with that.
There was the first half of the 2021-22 season where Simmons was holding out for a trade. Without him there, the team was more relaxed and loose than they had been in years. But they obviously did not have the talent to win at the highest level.
Insert James Harden when the Simmons trade finally comes to fruition. And while the Harden experience was more fun than the Simmons experience, there was still much to be desired.
After a year a half, the Harden experiment was over, but not before publicly shaming Daryl Morey and holding out once again before being traded to the Clippers. Suddenly, the team was having fun again up until the point where Embiid tore his meniscus in late-January.
This season will be the first of Embiid’s career where the team can accomplish what they want to on the basketball court from the onset while still having fun as a unit. A united team with people who are easy to root for can galvanize a fanbase.
Make Philadelphia proud
Stopping at nothing to give Sixers fans the best possible roster is something to be proud of. Having someone like Tyrese Maxey as a representation of you and your city is something to be proud of. The Sixers do not have to hoist the trophy this season to make the city proud.
What they can do is give their all to defending the name on the front of their jersey. Philadelphia is a hard-nosed, blue-collar city. Guys like Kelly Oubre and Caleb Martin are coming in to do the dirty work, which is something the fanbase will get behind.
Philadelphia is passionate. This is a team who can play with their heart on their sleeve and the city will appreciate that. The distractions should be gone. Internal growth is the main goal from here on out.
Prioritize the roster’s health
To say Sixers’ fans do not care about a Tuesday game in January would be an understatement. Playoffs are the focus. The team needs to be healthy come mid-April and they are going to need some help navigating there.
With the addition of Paul George, the Sixers have a great chance to win a lot of the games Joel Embiid misses as long as George and Tyrese Maxey both play. With 15 back-to-backs on the schedule, Embiid should figure to miss one end on many of those sets.
Embiid has his MVP award and would likely have two if he had not torn his meniscus this past season. He has said his goal is to bring a championship to the City of Brotherly Love. The only way he has a chance to do that is entering the playoffs healthy. He needs to look out for himself just as much as the organization does- he knows his body better than anyone.
Paul George is no spring chicken either. He turned 34 years old in May and has had his fair share of injuries throughout the course of his career as well. Luckily for George, with Embiid and Maxey ahead of him in the pecking order, he will not be relied upon as much as he was for his previous teams.
Make a real playoff run
The Sixers have made the playoffs seven times in the Joel Embiid era. They have won five total playoff series in that time. The most talented team they have beaten in the playoffs is the Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal led Washington Wizards. Yikes!
In contrast, they have literally lost to every good team they have played in that stretch: the Celtics three times, the Kawhi Leonard-led Raptors, Jimmy Butler‘s Heat, and the Knicks this past season. The Sixers have even lost to a team that was considered a quality playoff team, dathe 2021 Atlanta Hawks. This has to be the year that changes.
Everything is in place to embark on a playoff run befitting of the talent that has been assembled on the roster. Even as the Eastern Conference Finals has alluded the franchise, that should not be a finite barometer for success. If this Sixers team beats the Bucks in the first round next year and puts up a seven-game dog-fight with the reigning champion Celtics and go home in round two again, that may be enough.
