What They’re Saying: How the 76ers stack up against the rest of the NBA after a successful offseason
The Philadelphia 76ers had themselves quite the offseason, bringing in De’Anthony Melton, PJ Tucker, and Danuel House Jr to bolster their depth around Joel Embiid, James Harden, Tobias Harris, and Tyrese Maxey.
The 76ers needed to get tough and add a few key role players that can produce on both ends of the floor. They did just that thanks to a James Harden pay cut, and the additions of Melton, House, and Tucker.
ESPN dished out their offseason grades for the Eastern Conference.
The Philadelphia 76ers received an “A” after a successful summer.
Having added James Harden at the trade deadline, the Sixers had an opportunity to reset their roster around Harden and incumbent starters Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey this offseason. Harden’s decision to decline a $47.2 million player option and sign for a lower starting salary — something ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported last week the NBA will investigate for tampering — gave Philadelphia the ability to use the non-taxpayer midlevel exception to add Tucker.
In addition to Tucker, the 76ers also signed fellow former Houston Rocket Danuel House Jr. and acquired De’Anthony Melton in a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies. The result is a deeper Philadelphia option with more two-way contributors to put around the stars.
ESPN isn’t the only one high on the 76ers heading into the 2022-23 season. The Bleacher Report recently ranked the 76ers potential starting lineup third out of all 30 NBA teams.
Harden’s nonexistent defense presents challenges for any player grouping, but the Philadelphia 76ers will get back far more than they give up with this retooled lineup.
The thought of defending a Harden-Embiid pick-and-roll with Maxey blowing past closeouts on the weak side while Harris and Tucker space out the three-point line should give opposing coaches indigestion. And the added stretch provided by Tucker’s renowned gunning from the short corners will keep help from crashing down on Embiid when he rumbles to the cup.
The Athletic also ranked the new-look Sixers 7th in their offseason power rankings.
Daryl Morey and Elton Brand had a brilliant offseason. This team had no depth last season after the James Harden trade. Picking up Melton for an injured Danny Green (and a pick) was massive. Tucker getting a three-year deal was a surprise, but a necessary pickup for the Sixers. Danuel House is a really nice role player. If this team is healthy, it’ll be a contender. Joel Embiid is too good not to be. However, we need to see a better Harden than we’ve seen over the last year or so. Great offseason for them though.
Needless to say, the 76ers are primed to make another run at the NBA title. The new additions will definitely play a key role in helping them do so, along with a revitalized James Harden. Take the new pieces, Harden, and throw them with Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, and Tyrese Maxey, and the 76ers are looking very strong on paper.
Only a few months away from the return of 76ers basketball. Stay tuned.
