The NBA preseason is officially over and it is now time for the Philadelphia 76ers to put the league on notice. Philadelphia heads to Boston on Wednesday, October 22nd, for an old-fashioned northeastern rivalry between the Sixers and Celtics in the season opener.

The Sixers offseason was filled with injury news and a quiet free agency cycle. However, the roster already has plenty of talent like Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, etc., and just relies on health and availability. 

The 76ers free agency cycle was slow and mostly spent re-signing pieces from last season. Daryl Morey made a strong point this offseason to re-sign locker room veterans like Kyle Lowry and Eric Gordon. The big resigning was finally bringing back Quentin Grimes on a qualifying $8.7 million offer in early October. Morey also added some forward help with Trendon Watford, who happens to be great friends with Sixers star Tyrese Maxey, on a 2-year $5.3 million deal.

What Daryl Morey does best is scout and develop young talent. Some notable young stars Morey has brought to the Sixers include: Tyrese Maxey, Paul Reed, Isaiah Joe, Jared McCain, Adem Bona, Justin Edwards, VJ Edgecombe and now Dom Barlow, who shined in the preseason.

Philadelphia’s season relies less on the young role players and more on the health of their stars. In the 2024-25 season the 76ers finished 24-58 and landed 13th in the weak east. This was primarily due to the fact that their “Big 3” of Embiid, Maxey and George all dealt with injuries, only playing 15 games together. 

Luckily for Philly, they hit big in the lottery. Landing the 3rd overall pick, they selected VJ Edgecombe, a 6’4 athletic specimen at the guard position. Edgecombe averaged 15.0 Points, 5.6 Rebounds, 3.2 Assists, and 2.1 steals with 44/34/78 shooting splits in his freshman year at Baylor. Edgecombe, just 20 years old, still is developing his shooting from beyond the arc, but he shines brightest as an on-ball defender and high-flyer on a fastbreak.

With Joel Embiid’s return, the unstoppable pick-and-roll duo of him and Tyrese Maxey looks to start up again. While Maxey’s averages were up last year, 26.3 Pts, 6.1 Ast, 1.8 Stl, his shooting splits took a massive hit without Embiid’s gravity, sitting at a low 44/34/88. These splits may look good for any other player in the league, but for a superstar like Maxey, he understands he can do better.

Another player that underperformed was Sixers’ forward Paul George. The 35 year old signed a huge 4-year $212 million contract with Philadelphia in the summer of 2024 and he struggled to meet Sixers fans expectations in year one. George was banged up all season and never got to show his best, averaging just 15.8 PPG, his lowest since 2012 (Min. 40 GP). Paul George can be an All-Defensive player with 20+ PPG upside when he’s fully healthy and that is the player the 76ers are hoping for in the 2025-26 season. 

The key to the Sixers success is the presence and availability of Joel Embiid. At his best, Embiid is an MVP frontrunner and league leading 34.7 PPG type of player. However, we rarely get to see the 7-footer at his best due to his injury history. In Embiid’s lone preseason game, we saw a change in play style for him. Joel switched from his iso/score-first mentality to a more pass friendly play style where he drew in defenders and kicked it out to the open man. In just 19 minutes, he recorded 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists on 50% FG. We know how elite of a scorer Embiid can be, as he has the highest PPM (points per minute) in NBA history at 1.05 PPM, but if he can maintain his body for the playoffs this could be huge for a Sixers playoff run.

With Paul George listed as out, the projected lineup for the season opener in Boston is: PG Tyrese Maxey, SG VJ Edgecombe, SF Kelly Oubre Jr., PF Trendon Watford, and C Joel Embiid. 

Bench help includes: G Quintin Grimes, G Kyle Lowry, G Eric Gordon, F Justin Edwards, F Johni Broome, F/C Adem Bona, C Andre Drummond. 

This is still not the fully healthy roster, as last year’s rookie phenom Jared McCain plans to make his season debut in early November. McCain was last year’s rookie of the year favorite before going down with a meniscus tear after just 23 games. McCain averaged 15.3 PPG in 26 minutes and showed incredible off-ball movement and 3-point shooting ability, striking comparison to Warriors’ star Stephen Curry. 

The 76ers are led by head coach Nick Nurse, who has received criticism by Sixers fans after the last few seasons. Nurse understands the weight on his shoulders and is working to take on the challenge that is managing the Sixers lineups and injuries. Nurse is Finals winning Head Coach with the Raptors in 2019 meaning he’s experienced and successful. Trust should be placed in Nurse as he enters his 3rd season with the team. 

The Eastern Conference remains wide open with injuries and thinned rosters. Seems as if confidence is brewing within the 76ers organization and their championship window is still open.