The Philadelphia 76ers are missing something. Everyone in the NBA knows it.
The Sixers finished at least 12 games above .500 in each of the last seven seasons, including the abridged 2019-20 campaign. Superstar center Joel Embiid won the NBA MVP in 2022-23 and finished second in the voting in both of the two previous seasons. Tyrese Maxey emerged as the Most Improved Player in the league last season while Embiid dealt with injuries, and the duo combined for 60.6 points per game. Philadelphia finished with a 31-8 record when Embiid started in the regular season.
With all of that said, however, Philadelphia has lost in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs in five of those seven postseasons. In the other two, they exited in the first round. They haven’t reached the conference finals since their fateful run to the NBA Finals with Allen Iverson in 2001.
They’ve tried everything. They’ve fired two coaches since 2020. They drafted Ben Simmons and traded for Jimmy Butler and James Harden, but each left the team within a few years.
Now, their hopes rest on Duke basketball star [autotag]Jared McCain[/autotag].
The Sixers drafted McCain with the 16th overall pick in Wednesday’s NBA draft, adding the 20-year-old sharpshooter to the roster. Philadelphia finished below the league median in 3-point attempts per game last season, and McCain brings a 40% flamethrower to the perimeter. Philadelphia fans already love his fit alongside Maxey, an athletic slasher who has shown an early penchant for big moments.
No, all the pressure isn’t on McCain next season. Embiid’s health will be the biggest question mark. At best, McCain will be the fourth or fifth scoring option, and he’ll almost surely come off the bench for the entire season.
However, the team’s President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey said he plans on the Sixers being the best team in the Eastern Conference next season during his post-draft press conference. Making such a statement less than an hour after drafting McCain makes it clear that the former Blue Devil is part of that vision.
Will the engaging Duke star be enough to run down fellow Blue Devil [autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag] and the Boston Celtics? Only time will tell, but that’s certainly the plan in Philadelphia.