The Philadelphia 76ers always had title aspirations for the 2019-20 season. They had come oh so close in the season before Kawhi Leonard ended their season in Game 7 of the semifinals and they then made major moves to upgrade the roster. A title was clearly their goal.
However, a slew of injuries did not allow the team to come together and join any chemistry and it resulted in the team slumping to the 6 seed in the East at the time the league went into hiatus on March 11. At that point, not a lot of people took the Sixers seriously in the East and for good reason.
The fit between Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Al Horford did not work out as well as the team had hoped and for all of his talents, Tobias Harris is not JJ Redick or Jimmy Butler. On top of that, Simmons was dealing with a serious back injury while Embiid and Josh Richardson were also dealing with some nagging issues.
As the season gets set to resume in Orlando, the Sixers are healthy and energized and coach Brett Brown is feeling good about his team’s chances now.
“I am very quietly confident,” said Brown on Saturday. “Those are the two words that I choose carefully. I feel that the work that our guys have put in and maybe, more importantly, the spirit of how they have gone about that work reinforces my quiet confidence, for me, in a pronounced way.”
So far in practice, the Sixers have made some changes to their lineups and Simmons has taken more 3-pointers and Embiid looks like he in shape. Those two main parts of the team are going to be vital to any championship run for Philadelphia and that is why Brown is feeling confident.
“Albeit very early, I’ll take it,” the coach added. “There are many, many good signs that I’m witnessing and being a part of.”
The Sixers will continue to work and get back at it on August 1 against the Indiana Pacers. [lawrence-related id=34897,34880,34873]