Getty Tobias Harris #12, Tyrese Maxey #0, James Harden #1, and Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers pose for a picture during media day.
There is a growing buzz surrounding the Philadelphia 76ers as the beginning of the 2022-23 season kicks off. James Harden is returning for his first full season with the team and there were several off-season moves to provide the team with more depth. In their first chance to flash their abilities on the court, the Sixers cruised to a 127-108 victory over the Brooklyn Nets in the preseason opener. Philly is beginning to catch the attention of those around the NBA with their play.
On his latest episode of ‘The Lowe Post’ podcast, ESPN analyst Zach Lowe had strong praise for the potential of this Sixers team. Lowe had a strong belief in the Sixers’ ability to reach their win total of 50.5 games saying this number will go “over a million times out of a million . . . 50.5 is going to be nothing for these guys if Harden and Embiid play let’s say 130 games combined.”
Sixers Past Records
It seems the offseason moves have not changed expectations for the Sixers too much in the eyes of the Las Vegas bookmakers. Last season Philadelphia finished with a record of 51-31 which is right at what the win total is currently set at. However, in the 21 games that James Harden was with the team, the Sixers had a win rate that would have produced 54 wins if he had been there for the entirety of the season.
In the past five years, the Sixers have secured over 50.5 wins in three of the five seasons. However, they have never won more than 52 games in a season that occurred in 2017-18. Last season the Sixers were one of the eight teams to reach this total across the NBA. Their win total of 50.5 is tied with the Brooklyn Nets for the sixth-highest number in the league for the upcoming season.
Optimism for 2022-23
The added depth of the Sixers roster is the biggest reason for optimism heading into the 2022-23 season. Joel Embiid, who finished second in the NBA in usage rate last season, has struggled to stay healthy throughout a full season. He played a career-high 68 games last season but picked up multiple injuries in the postseason which decreased the team’s playoff chances. In addition to the facial fracture, Embiid had to get surgery on both of his hands in the offseason due to lingering injuries which he stated he still has not completely healed from. The MVP runner-up sat out the team’s preseason opener.
While the version of Embiid that is prepared to take the court will have a massive role on what level of a contender the Sixers can be, the roster around him is the most complete it has ever been. Harden also sat out the preseason opener so fans will continue to wait to see how impactful his offseason improvements were.
Lowe mentioned the key part of his statement about health playing a major role in the Sixers’ chances of reaching this win total in the second part of his phrase. It may seem simple to boil it down to this but injuries are likely the biggest hurdle the team will need to clear. The podcast host set the bar at 130 games which is a more difficult task than he may have realized.
Including the time he spent with the Brooklyn Nets last season, Embiid and Harden combined for 133 games on the court last season. However, they failed to reach this mark with their combined totals in either of the years prior (95 and 119 combined games played). The focus has shifted from regular season production to ensuring the team is ready for the playoffs and the added depth is expected to allow more time for rest for the two superstars. Regardless of how it shakes out, it is clear expectations are rising for the Sixers and that the national media is beginning to be a driving force in this.