Philadelphia 76ers: Their realistic expectations in the Eastern Conference

Philadelphia 76ers: Sifting through the hype and finding realistic expectations

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 22: Markelle Fultz walks on stage with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being drafted first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers during the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 22, 2017 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

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Entering the summer with a ton of hype, we sift through it all and try to find realistic expectations for the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference

The Philadelphia 76ers are the perfect overlap of the Venn Diagram depicting the fall in quality in the Eastern Conference, and the hope of the unknown.

The unknown of promising rookies, mercurial talents coming back from injury, and solid free agent signing; the 76ers are one of the only feel-good stories in the East this offseason. With hope among Eastern Conference teams at an all time low, and trust in the process being at an all-time high, the hype around Philly is gaining momentum like a freight train.

Although, once you sift through the hype, you will find the Sixers’ expectation of playoffs is more realistic than most would believe.

So just how bad is the Eastern Conference? How much better are the Sixers? How much can we expect from a team intending on starting three players with a joint 31 regular season games?

Like the Sixers in general, there are a lot of questions to be answered as we separate the hype and try to see where they measure up.