Prized center Joel Embiid headlines the Sixers’ crop of young promising players. AP
Better days are certainly coming for the “City of Brotherly Love,” as many believe that the Philadelphia 76ers’ talented youth movement will be enough to push them into playoff contention this upcoming NBA season.
With the likes of Joel Embiid, Dario Saric, Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz in the fold—plus the fact that several big names have moved from the Eastern Conference to the West—a playoff run is becoming a more distinct possibility for the franchise.
However, current Sixers General Manager and President of Basketball Operations Brian Colangelo is asking fans to temper their expectations for the time being.
“I think any talk of playoffs is getting a little ahead of ourselves,” said Colangelo, according to NBA.com’s Scott Howard-Cooper.
“The East is definitely in flux right now and a lot of changes are happening,” he added. “A lot of changes are happening to this roster and we’re not going to know what we have until we actually play some games, when we get together in the fall and we go through a camp and we start to play live NBA games.”
The entire city of Philadelphia, meanwhile, is fully embracing its “Trust the Process” mantra, which was popularized by former executive Sam Hinkie as a precaution for fans to be patient during the team’s consecutive losing seasons.
“We want to take this a step at a time,” Colangelo explained. “We want to go about it the right way, with patience and the proper focus, and the focus is on taking that next step forward.”
Although the team’s talent pool is indeed something to marvel at, both Fultz and Simmons have yet to log in a minute in an official NBA game, while Embiid has battled injuries throughout his budding career.
Still, the East seems to be wide open for new contenders this year, with stalwarts Paul George and Paul Millsap moving to the West coast.
Aside from its promising core, the Sixers also recently picked up solid veterans like sharpshooter J.J Redick and dependable big man Amir Johnson. Khristian Ibarrola /ra