Have the Philadelphia 76ers made enough of an improvement this offseason to be considered a legit contender?
After watching Joel Embiid push himself to the point of exhaustion as he battled both fatigue and injury in the NBA Playoffs this past season, it was clear that the Philadelphia 76ers needed to get him some help this offseason.
The Sixers have already made improvements to the roster through the NBA Draft and the start of free agency. But you can’t help but wonder whether that’s enough.
The Sixers acquired De’Anthony Melton via their first-round pick and Danny Green on NBA Draft night. When free agency opened, the Sixers got a quick commitment from P.J. Tucker to help shore up the frontcourt and add some toughness to the team. They also added Danuel House.
Philly still has some wiggle room and there are whispers that they could trade Tobias Harris and/or Matisse Thybulle but that’s far from a foregone conclusion.
It’s unlikely that the Sixers are in on Kyrie Irving or Kevin Durant. So the big splash isn’t coming, but there is still room for some ancillary additions. At least for now, the core of their rotation heading into next season seems pretty set.
A guard rotation of James Harden, Tyrese Maxey, De’Anthony Melton, and Shake Milton (?) appears set, to go along with a wing rotation of Tobias Harris (if he’s not traded), Matisse Thybulle (if he’s not traded), Georges Niang, Tucker, and House. And then there’s Joel Embiid and Paul Reed at the center position.
The question is whether that is a good enough roster and supporting cast to win a championship, or to come out of the Eastern Conference?
That’s far from an easy question to answer. As far as the team’s starting 5, there probably won’t be many teams in the NBA with a better opening lineup. Maxey is a budding star, Harden should be healthy this season, Harris is still a quality player as a third or fourth option, Tucker is as good of a wing defender as there is in the NBA, and Embiid is probably the best center in the league.
The questions for the Sixers come after their starting 5, however. Is a supporting cast of Melton, Milton, Thybulle, Niang, House, and Reed enough to win a title?
It’s probably more likely than not that the Sixers aren’t done with their offseason moves. If the goal was for Daryl Morey to build a championship contender, he probably doesn’t believe his job is done. But, for one reason or another, if it is, has he done enough?