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The Philadelphia 76ers are entering a wild offseason as they get set to begin the Doc Rivers era after seven seasons under Brett Brown. They came up very short of their expectations in the 2019-20 season and they are now looking forward to building and getting back on the path.
As the longest season in NBA history is finally over with the Los Angeles Lakers hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy inside the bubble, it is time to turn to next season. There is hope that the Sixers can still win as they are led by a star duo in Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.
ESPN put together their way too early power rankings for the 2020-21 season already and they have Philadelphia ranked 8th in their rankings. They are ahead of the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat who came in ranked 9th.
ESPN on the Sixers ranking:
After replacing Brett Brown with Doc Rivers, the 76ers hope to finally make the deep playoff run that has eluded them with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. General manager Elton Brand has a big decision to make this offseason after fit issues plagued the Sixers this season. Specifically, can he find a taker for Al Horford, who didn’t fit next to Embiid like Philadelphia had hoped he would? When Embiid was not on the court, Horford proved he can still play center. Another big question the Sixers will have to answer: Will Simmons remain a full-time power forward? And, if so, who will be the team’s starting point guard next season, Shake Milton or someone who isn’t on the roster yet?
There are a lot of questions that Philadelphia must answer in the 2020 offseason and it will be up to general manager Elton Brand to get it done. Philadelphia has the talent to win a championship in 2021 with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, but it’s obvious that the team must find the right pieces around them to make it all work. [lawrence-related id=38293,38290,38283]