The Philadelphia 76ers enjoyed success in the 2020-21 season on their way to the No. 1 seed in the East for the first time in 20 years. However, that success was short-lived as they once again could not make it past the second round and fell to the Atlanta Hawks in Game 7 at home.
Fast forward to the 2021-22 season, and one would think the Sixers could build off that and continue their push toward a title. Not in this instance.
The Sixers continue to seek a solution to Ben Simmons, the 25-year-old forcing his way out of Philadelphia with a holdout and trade request.
That forces the Sixers to rely on young Tyrese Maxey to run the show. That also puts more pressure on Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris to carry the team and for that reason, a survey performed by the GMs in the NBA has Philadelphia tumbling to the fourth in the East. They are predicted to finish just behind the Miami Heat.
Per the 2021-22 NBA GM survey, Philadelphia is predicted to finish 4th in the Eastern Conference right behind the Miami Heat at No. 3 #Sixers
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) October 5, 2021
The Sixers will have multiple issues to work through, and the Heat reloaded by adding Kyle Lowry to join Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. It makes sense most GMs feel this way. Philadelphia will be a talented team regardless of what happens with Simmons, but it will face an uphill climb in the East no matter how the situation ends.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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