Getty James Harden of the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Philadelphia 76ers went all in on tanking a decade ago for one purpose: to bring a championship to the City of Brotherly Love.
Sure, the intermediate goal was to accumulate draft capital to use on blue-chip prospects or sweeten trade packages for established stars. But through all of the losing, league-minimum deals, and flurry of ten-day contracts, the overarching goal was simple: (eventually) W-I-N.
And over the past three seasons, the Sixers have done plenty of winning.
The only problem? The team’s biggest successes have been limited to the regular season. In fact, Philadelphia hasn’t advanced beyond the second round of the playoffs since their 2000 Finals run.
But after a solid offseason, the Sixers appear ready to seriously contend for a title, at least according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Kevin Pelton.
Sixers ‘Can Realistically Dream’ of a Championship This Season
Bontemps and Pelton broke the league down into different tiers, organized by their realistic goals this season and beyond.
And the Sixers, along with the Nets, Clippers, Heat, Bucks, and Suns, earned a place in Bontemps and Pelton’s top tier – teams “all in on … a championship this season.”
“These six teams,” wrote Bontemps and Pelton in a recent article for ESPN, “can realistically dream of an NBA championship in 2022-23.”
But like so much else that sounds too good to be true, there is a caveat. While the Sixers are ready to rumble this season, their future as contenders is significantly cloudier.
“In addition, [the Suns, Sixers, Bucks, Clippers, Heat, and Nets] all have something else in common: a shelf life.
Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Miami have stars who should allow them to be competitive for a long time (Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid and Bam Adebayo, respectively). But given the Bucks have traded several future picks and have two co-stars (Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday) in their early 30s, while the 76ers and Heat are relying on a pair of mid-30s stars in James Harden and Jimmy Butler, respectively, there could be a time limit on their status as true contenders.”
Go ahead and add that to the list of Sixers’ pressures this season. Not only is there a thirst for wins, but the window to do so might be closing sooner than expected.
Do the Sixers Need Young Blood?
Bontemps and Pelton made clear that the Sixers, while ready to win this season, aren’t among those set up to compete long-term. This begs the question: do the Sixers need an infusion of youth?
To better answer this quesiton, we have to take a look at the teams in Bontemps and Pelton’s second tier – those “all in on … a championship over the next five seasons.”
Bontemps and Pelton selected four teams in this group: the Celtics, Nuggets, Grizzlies, and Warriors. Each was unified by prioritizing winning now “while keeping an eye on the long-term plan.”
Essentially, while each of those teams has older, established veterans that can tilt a playoff series, they also have a cadre of young talent to stretch their team’s championship window.
Last season, the Sixers (25.9) were just below the league average in roster age (26.2) and just a hair older than their rivals in Boston (25.8). But every team except the Thunder was older than the Grizzlies (24.0).
That much is no surprise, considering the Grizzlies boast one of the league’s most electric young cores in Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson, Jr.
And though the Warriors are carrying aging stars in Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson, the California club is well positioned for the future with no shortage of young talent.
The Sixers, however, do boast two young stars in Tyrese Maxey (21.8) and Joel Embiid (28.4), whose primes either haven’t started (Maxey) or are just beginning (Embiid).
Tyrese Maxey back in the lab 😤
🎥 via @ChrisJHoops. Awesome commentary on what Maxey has been working on to create separation as well
The problem for Philadelphia is that the rest of their projected starters are no spring chickens.
Bontemps and Pelton highlighted Harden (32.9), but Tobias Harris (30.1) isn’t getting any younger, either. Throw in PJ Tucker (37.3) into the mix, and the Sixers’ projected starters’ average age is 30.1 years old. That figure is downright ancient compared to that of Memphis, Boston, and Denver.
The Sixers simply cannot afford another second-round playoff bounce this season. Sooner or later, Father Time will catch up.