Philadelphia 76ers: Is Philadelphia a true contender in the East?

Are the Philadelphia 76ers true contenders in the Eastern Conference?

The Philadelphia 76ers got off to a smoking hot start this season, winning eight of their first nine games, but many experts are reluctant to give them the title of “championship contender” just yet. That is the big question about his team.

Are the 76ers truly ready to be contenders for an NBA championship?

For anyone that lives by the motto of, what have you done for me lately, then that would be an emphatic, NO. After a hot first two weeks of the season, the 76ers have lost four of their last six games.

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Like many teams, the Sixers have recently been stricken by the COVID-19 bug, and their game Sunday against the Oklahoma City Thunder had to be postponed. Since then, the Sixers are 2-4 as they battle through these challenges. One specific player that they’ve especially missed over the past few games is Seth Curry.

Curry has been one of the brightest spots for the Sixers this season, posting career highs in many categories through his first eight games this year. Curry is shooting over 59 percent from 3-point territory, over 61 percent from the field, and averaging 17 points per contest, which is a career-high for the younger Curry brother. Having that type of momentum halted so abruptly has affected the Sixers on the court since Curry’s absence

Joel Embiid had been the engine driving this team, but as of Friday, Embiid is set to miss “multiple games,” according to reports. It is unfortunate seeing the start he was off to this season. Embiid is playing at an MVP level through the first three weeks of the season, averaging 25 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, with a PER (Player Efficiency Rating) of 28.0, which ranks him fifth in the NBA.

Hopefully, this isn’t another lengthy injury for Joel the “Troel,” because that has been the story of his short professional career to this point.

Then there is Ben Simmons. Simmons was recently placed on the trade block as a potential bargaining chip for the 76ers in acquiring James Harden from the Houston Rockets. As we know now, this did not happen, and Harden is currently living his best life in Brooklyn with the Nets.

So far this season, Simmons is posting career lows in key offensive categories, averaging 12.3 points per game through 12 games with a 15.1 PER. Simmons’ career PER is nearly five points higher. With Simmons playing this way it does not matter how many regular-season games this team wins; they won’t make it out of the second round in the Eastern Conference if he can’t pick up his play.

The Sixers have such a talented roster and new head coach, but they seem to have hit a wall recently. With COVID striking and Embiid being out again with another injury, it’s hard to call this team a contender to represent the east in the Finals come seasons end.

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A team with young stars like Embiid and Simmons should be guaranteed to lock up a top-three seed in the East. But with Embiid’s injury history and Simmons’ lack of confidence, the true potential of this team may never be fully reached.