The Philadelphia 76ers (54-28) have as good a chance of winning the Eastern Conference as they have ever since the operation Started in early 2010. Per OddsCheckerThe 76ers currently have the third-best odds to win in the East.
His roster is championship-caliber, headlined by potential MVP Joel Embiid. As long as he can avoid injury, healthy and dominant Embiid (averaging 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists while serving as the dominant anchor of the eighth-ranked 76ers defense), along with always dynamic guard James Harden, Philly is one of The best punches in the entire NBA.
While Harden’s scoring and playmaking averages are similar to those of last season, his efficiency has skyrocketed. He averaged 21 points, 10.7 assists, and 6.1 rebounds while shooting 44.1% from the field and 38.5% from three (compared to 40.2% and 32.6% last season).
Harden transitioned away from being a top-tier goal-scoring threat into a facility-focused role. He’s excellent at making sure Embiid gets the ball in his best positions and has been one of the best playmakers the past few seasons, leading the NBA in assists this campaign.
In the clutch, Embiid and Harden also shone, especially in some of their biggest games.
The Philly support team is vastly improved from last season, with key additions like De’Anthony Melton, PJ Tucker, and Jalen McDaniels.
Tyreese Maxey also had a great third season, proving that he could be Philly’s third choice behind Embiid and Harden. Maxi is averaging 20.3 points and 3.5 assists this season, with a 60.5 real shooting percentage.
The roster is much better than it was a year ago, when Embiid led this team to the conference semi-finals despite having an orbital bone broke downAnd Harden’s shooting struggles and general lackluster core after the team Ben Simmons commerce.
Looking closely at the team’s main competition in the Eastern Conference, the 76ers will face the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the playoffs. They have a clear talent advantage in their initial showdown after Brooklyn deals with superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Barring a possible Mikal Bridges revenge run against the team that drafted him, there’s little reason to think the Nets have a legitimate chance at going broke.
This brings us to the big boys – the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics. This season, Philly went 2-2 against the Bucks and 1-3 against the Celtics. Every game against Boston came by a 10-point lead. The Sixers have proven they can compete with the best and neither the Bucks nor the Celtics have managed to slow down the Harden-Embiid selection and roll/pop.
Philly’s chances of conference (and possibly more), ultimately, will focus on how great Embiid and Harden are. With a reconfigured roster and this elite group, the 76ers stand a great chance of taking over the East, even though it could be a close fight.