NBA: Ranking the 20 projected playoff teams based on their record vs. winning teams

11. Philadelphia 76ers (13-19)

It's been a tale of two seasons for the Philadelphia 76ers. There's the fraction of the season in which they looked like a potential contender in the Eastern Conference with Joel Embiid and then the portion of the season where they've completely fallen apart without their superstar MVP candidate. With the way the Sixers have been trending, there's a very real chance that they may have to win their way into the playoffs via the Play-In Tournament.

Ultimately, the Sixers' season is going to hinge on whether Embiid returns or not. There's been recent optimism that he is going to be back before the end of the season but until that is guaranteed, it's hard to expect much for this team heading into the start of the playoffs. Since the departure of Embiid from the lineup, the Sixers are just 3-7 against teams with winning records.

You'd have to imagine that life is going to get more difficult for the team before it gets better. Even if Embiid does return, there's no guarantee he's going to be in MVP form. It's just unfortunate how quickly everything has unraveled this season for the Sixers.