Expectations for this year’s 76ers were all over the map entering the 2025–26 NBA season.
In theory, a leading trio of Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and Paul George is a three-headed monster that can hang with almost anybody in the league. But as Philadelphia found out last year, the injury bug can strike quickly and cruelly. All three stars, along with multiple other key members of the roster, missed significant time last year due to injury; Embiid and George required surgery for their respective ailments. It resulted in a 24–58 finish and a lottery pick in the 2025 NBA draft that turned into VJ Edgecombe, a talented yet raw prospect who was universally viewed as something of a project player. With patience, the tools were there to develop into a legitimate NBA player. But it wouldn’t happen overnight. Between that and the general uncertainty that Embiid and/or George would be consistently available, it was anybody’s guess as to where the Sixers might land in the standings come season’s end.
