Power Rankings
Overall Ranking: 30th
Tier: Bottom Feeders
Projected Seeding: 15th in East
Well, I don't think that this ranking came as much surprise to anyone, including Philadelphia's front office. It has been all but confirmed that the 76ers are open to losing games rather than winning them, or tanking, in an effort to acquire higher draft picks and more young players in hopes of success in the long run. If trading away starters PG Jrue Holiday, SF/SG Evan Turner, PF/SF Thaddeus Young, C/PF Spencer Hawes, PG/SG Michael Carter-Williams, and more, in exchange for prospects, draft picks, and expiring contracts wasn't enough; just look at how Philadelphia actually used their draft picks. Recent use of first-rounders include SF Dario Saric, who was projected to spend the next few years overseas before joining the NBA when selected, C Joel Embiid, who had major injury concerns when he was drafted that proved to be valid, and PG/Sg Michael Carter-Williams, who was traded away halfway into his second season (for another first-round pick, I might add) that showed a relative plateau from his inaugural Rookie of the Year campaign. The promising young offense-defense frontcourt duo of C Jahlil Okafor and PF/C Nerlens Noel account for 90% of tangible substance that Philadelphia has to show for the past few years of stink. The other prospects that round out the starting five are SG Nik Stuaskas and SF/PF Robert Covington, with point guard being a complete question mark as it is currently being run by PG Isaiah Canaan and PG T.J McConnell. All of these guys, and others, are very young and are bursting with potential, yet imagining any of them turning into stars can be difficult. As of now, Okafor and Noel (and possibly being joined by Saric and Embiid) are the only real cornerstones of this franchise, along with one or more of the slew of future Philadelphia draft picks, of course. But notice how this is all about the future, while the present... well, let's just say it demands patience for now.
Overall Ranking: 30th
Tier: Bottom Feeders
Projected Seeding: 15th in East
Well, I don't think that this ranking came as much surprise to anyone, including Philadelphia's front office. It has been all but confirmed that the 76ers are open to losing games rather than winning them, or tanking, in an effort to acquire higher draft picks and more young players in hopes of success in the long run. If trading away starters PG Jrue Holiday, SF/SG Evan Turner, PF/SF Thaddeus Young, C/PF Spencer Hawes, PG/SG Michael Carter-Williams, and more, in exchange for prospects, draft picks, and expiring contracts wasn't enough; just look at how Philadelphia actually used their draft picks. Recent use of first-rounders include SF Dario Saric, who was projected to spend the next few years overseas before joining the NBA when selected, C Joel Embiid, who had major injury concerns when he was drafted that proved to be valid, and PG/Sg Michael Carter-Williams, who was traded away halfway into his second season (for another first-round pick, I might add) that showed a relative plateau from his inaugural Rookie of the Year campaign. The promising young offense-defense frontcourt duo of C Jahlil Okafor and PF/C Nerlens Noel account for 90% of tangible substance that Philadelphia has to show for the past few years of stink. The other prospects that round out the starting five are SG Nik Stuaskas and SF/PF Robert Covington, with point guard being a complete question mark as it is currently being run by PG Isaiah Canaan and PG T.J McConnell. All of these guys, and others, are very young and are bursting with potential, yet imagining any of them turning into stars can be difficult. As of now, Okafor and Noel (and possibly being joined by Saric and Embiid) are the only real cornerstones of this franchise, along with one or more of the slew of future Philadelphia draft picks, of course. But notice how this is all about the future, while the present... well, let's just say it demands patience for now.