The Philadelphia 76ers had a big offseason, making some key additions and stealing headlines with their signing of star veteran Paul George.
As such, Philadelphia entered the season with high expectations. However, just about everything has gone wrong for the squad this season, and now, a 3-13 record has the 76ers thinking about a play-in bid.
“The offseason victory lap has long since turned into a desperate sprint toward a more tepid goal: winning enough games to stay within striking distance of a play-in tournament appearance, which team sources estimate will take at least 33 wins in the putrid Eastern Conference,” wrote ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. “Philadelphia entered the season projected to win 51.5 games.”
The 76ers haven’t been able to get out of their own way this season, with the team having already suffered multiple five-game losing streaks just 16 games into the campaign.
Philadelphia has lost games to good teams, bad teams and everything in between. Meanwhile, Philly’s three wins have come against teams that are all currently below .500 in the Indiana Pacers, Charlotte Hornets and Brooklyn Nets.
Among the 76ers’ many issues have been availability woes, a theme that has held the team back all season. Philadelphia entered the campaign with high hopes for its new star trio of George, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. But this season, those players have appeared in one game together.
Maxey has appeared in 10 games overall, with George being limited to eight and Embiid being limited to four. Currently, George and Embiid have missed two straight games and will remain sidelined for Wednesday’s matchup against the Houston Rockets.
Thanks to all of the troubles the 76ers have faced, the team currently has the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference. It’s still relatively early in the season, but the squad has put itself in such a hole that a play-in bid may be the most reasonable goal for now.
The top six teams in each conference receive outright playoff bids while the next four teams in each conference land in the play-in tournament. The 76ers would have to finish no lower than 10th in the East in order to grab a play-in spot and have a chance to advance to a playoff series.
The hope in Philadelphia has to be that there are brighter days ahead.
