How good are the Philadelphia 76ers?

How good are the Philadelphia 76ers? Did they get better this offseason? Where do you expect them to finish in the Eastern Conference?

Added: P.J. Tucker, Danuel House Jr., De’Anthony Melton

Lost: Danny Green, DeAndre Jordan

Daniel Poarch

Outside of Boston and Milwaukee, I think the Philadelphia 76ers are the Eastern Conference team most likely to punch a ticket to the NBA Finals. I have some concerns about certain roster decisions – James Harden taking a pay cut? Neat! Using that pay cut to sign PJ Tucker for 3 years, $33 million? Weird! – and I wonder about what happens to the defense when Joel Embiid invariably misses time. But by and large, this is an incredibly talented roster with the firepower to hang with anybody in the conference. I think we may very well see the Celtics-Sixers matchup to end all Celtics-Sixers matchups at some point in this postseason.

Adam Spinella

No tandem of players in the Eastern Conference is more formidable than the pairing of Joel Embiid and James Harden. Their offensive games complement each other well, and Embiid’s defensive prowess helps protect Harden on the other end. Tyrese Maxey looks like a stud in the making, Tobias Harris has been bashed so much he’s become underrated, and the addition of PJ Tucker was a nice get for this team. We have real questions about their depth, especially since so many of their bench players are really young. But they have championship-level upside. The Sixers aren’t to be underestimated and look like a 50-win team to me.

Jack Simone

The 76ers got better. There’s no arguing that. Signing PJ Tucker was great for them, and for some reason, no one is talking about the De’Anthony Melton addition. That was amazing value. Are they on the tier of the Celtics and Bucks? I don’t think so. Can they get there if the team gels quickly? Absolutely. I expect a top-four finish at the very least. Anything else should be seen as a massive disappointment.

Jeff Pratt

The 76ers got better this offseason. Adding PJ Tucker and Montrezl Harrell to bolster their frontcourt depth were solid moves. That being said, the most important acquisition Philly made this offseason was a fitter, hungrier James Harden. Harden wasn’t very impressive after joining the Sixers in the middle of last year, but he appears to have slimmed down significantly and could return to his Houston form in 2022. If that happens and Tyrese Maxey takes another small step forward, watch out. I believe Philly will finish as the No. 3 seed behind Boston and Milwaukee this season.

Jeff Clark

This feels like another team that could go either way. They have Finals level upside based on their two stars and a very solid supporting cast. They also have bust potential. Embiid might be the MVP this year, but I’m not sold on “Thin Harden” returning to his heights or even playing at an All Star level. They have a lot of names filling out the rotation, but several of those names are in their mid to late 30’s and Father Time is undefeated. So I’ll split the difference and predict them to land in the 4th or 5th seed.