Where the 76ers, Joel Embiid, and James Harden finished in ESPN’s offseason survey

ESPN released an offseason surgery where coaches, scouts, and execs were polled about the most important summer moves and what to expect heading into the 2022 NBA season, including MVP, best rookie, and what lies ahead in the playoffs.

Here’s a full breakdown of the survey answers, as well as a few notes on where the Philadelphia 76ers, Joel Embiid, and James Harden appeared in voting.

Who is the best player in the NBA right now?

• Giannis Antetokounmpo: 11 votes
• Stephen Curry: 3 votes
• LeBron James: 1 vote

Who will be the best player in the NBA in five years?

• Giannis Antetokounmpo: 7 votes
• Luka Doncic: 6 votes
• Jayson Tatum: 2 votes

Who will be the MVP this season?

• Giannis Antetokounmpo: 5 votes
• Luka Doncic: 4 votes
• Joel Embiid: 4 votes
• Stephen Curry: 1 vote
• Ja Morant: 1 vote

Embiid tallied four votes and according to ESPN, was mentioned by “several other voters”, whatever that means. Embiid has finished as the runner-up twice over the last two years behind Jokic. For that, you can certainly blame advanced metrics and “statsexuals” along with the blatant bias in the MVP voting. 

ESPN: “They’ll have a good regular season, and I think people will think he deserves it,” an Eastern Conference executive said of Embiid.

76ers Joel Embiid Due to win MVP this season

Who will be the best rookie in five years?

• Paolo Banchero: 6 votes
• Chet Holmgren: 6 votes
• Jaden Ivey: 2 votes
• Keegan Murray: 1 vote

Which team will Kevin Durant be on the day after the trade deadline?

• Brooklyn Nets: 13 votes
• Phoenix Suns: 1 vote
• Boston Celtics: 1 vote

Which team will Donovan Mitchell be on the day after the trade deadline?

• New York Knicks: 14 votes
• Utah Jazz: 1 vote

Which team had the best offseason?

• Boston Celtics: 6 votes
• Philadelphia 76ers: 2 votes
• Utah Jazz: 2 votes
• Atlanta Hawks: 1 vote
• LA Clippers: 1 vote
• New York Knicks: 1 vote
• Sacramento Kings: 1 vote
• Washington Wizards: 1 vote

I can understand why the Boston Celtics were chosen as winners. They were able to add two above-average rotation players in Malcolm Brogdon in a trade with the Pacers and Daniel Gallinari as a free agent from Atlanta. 

Finishing second would be the Philadelphia 76ers, who addressed their lack of depth and rotation issues in a huge way, by signing PJ Tucker and Danuel House Jr in free agency, while trading for De’Anthony Melton on draft night. 

Which team had the worst offseason?

• Dallas Mavericks: 6 votes
• Charlotte Hornets: 3 votes
• Brooklyn Nets: 2 votes
• Denver Nuggets: 1 vote
• Los Angeles Lakers: 1 vote
• Minnesota Timberwolves: 1 vote
• Portland Trail Blazers: 1 vote

What was the most surprising move of the offseason?

• Rudy Gobert to Minnesota: 10 votes
• James Harden taking a pay cut: 1 vote
• Dejounte Murray to Atlanta: 1 vote
• Russell Westbrook still being a Laker: 1 vote
• Malcolm Brogdon to Celtics: 1 vote
• No huge moves among the elite contenders: 1 vote

One of the biggest surprises of the offseason was James Harden taking a pretty significant paycut and then re-signing with the Philadelphia 76ers, allowing the team more flexibility under the cap to acquire additional pieces such as PJ Tucker and Danuel House Jr. 

Who wins the East finals, West finals and the NBA Finals?

East champs:

• Milwaukee Bucks: 7
• Boston Celtics: 7
• Miami Heat: 1

West champs:

• LA Clippers: 8
• Phoenix Suns: 3
• Golden State Warriors: 3
• Denver Nuggets: 1

NBA champs:

• LA Clippers: 5
• Milwaukee Bucks: 4
• Boston Celtics: 4
• Golden State Warriors: 2

The 76ers got no love in terms of winning the East or the NBA Finals. Hard to be upset about that given their recent history and flat-out inability to get out of the second round of the playoffs every year.