ESPN: Philadelphia 76ers Are CONTENDERS In Eastern Conference This Season!

ESPN: Philadelphia 76ers Are CONTENDERS In Eastern Conference This Season!

[Music] Reaction time here on 76ers. Now ESPN divided each of the Eastern Conference teams into one of six different tiers, separating the contenders from the pretenders. So where do they have the 76ers and where do they have some of the other top teams in the Eastern Conference? That’s we’re going to dive into here on today’s show. But first, do you think a bounceback year is in store for this 76ers team? Look, obviously a disaster of a season last year, but still a lot of talent on the roster. So, if you want the Sixers to make it back to the playoffs and play some meaningful basketball once again, hit that thumbs up icon and like today’s video. Here are the six tiers that ESPN split up every team into. Six different tiers. Tier one being finals or bust. Tier two, teams that are right on the cusp of contending. Tier three teams that kind of long shots to contend but certainly have some potential. Tier four just one team in this in this tier kind of in the middle of everybody else. Then tier five your playing teams. And then of course tier six bottom of the barrel those lotterybound teams already looking ahead to the 2026 NBA draft. So two teams were in tier one for ESPN to not include the 76ers. the finals or bus teams? They said at least making the finals, not necessarily winning the finals. The Cleveland Cavaliers, the New York Knicks. Makes a lot of sense to me. Those are clearly the two best teams in the Eastern Conference. But I will say I’m not terrified of either of these teams. Now, we’ll start with the Cavs. I do like what they did in the off season. Instead of panicking and trying to trade away one of their top players because they flamed out once again in the playoffs with a lot of injuries, what do they do? They kept their guys and they made some nice additions. They trade for Lonzo Ball. Bring him in there to Cleveland to be that backup point guard. You got still DeAndre Henner in there as a backup. You bring Larry Nance back. So look, the team is still obviously very talented and still looking really good. I will say this though, as I mentioned, the Cavs seem to flame out in the playoffs year after year after year. They just disappoint for whatever reason, right? Whether it’s injuries or not, not an excuse. They just can’t get it done when it matters most. So, as talented as that Cavs team is with all those all-stars, all those good players, and the depth they do have now, they got to prove it to me, man. So, until I see them make a deep run in the playoffs, it’s kind of the same thing as a Sixers, right? Until they prove it to you in the playoffs, how can you be scared of them? And how can you predict them to make a deep run? Now for the Knicks, of course, we saw them make that deep run to the conference finals this season and pretty much running back the same roster. Some decent depth additions, bringing in Jordan Clarkson, of course they bring in Gershon Yabasle. Absolutely steal him from the Philadelphia 76ers. And you know, their their unit, their lineup was very good this season. I imagine they might be going the route they did at the end of last year, starting Mitchell Robinson, bringing Josh Hart off the bench, whatever iteration they go with, obviously led by Jaylen Brunson. It’s a very good team. So, look, the Knicks going to be a dangerous opponent, right? I’ve said for the past couple weeks, it’s the Cavs. It’s the Knicks at the top of the East. The Knicks have a lot of talent. We’ll see how they affair with Mike Brown as our new head coach with Tom Tibido out of New York. But I don’t view the Knicks as some unbeatable team, some powerhouse like I would maybe the Oklahoma City Thunder out in the West where you’re like, man, how are we beating these guys? Right? I could see a world where the Knicks are beatable. We just saw the Knicks be beaten by the Indiana Pacers, right? So neither of these top two teams in the East are teams that I’m looking at like those are going to be powerhouses, gauntlets to get by. So, the Eastman, we’ve talked about this for a few weeks now, really does seem to be more wide open than almost ever before. Then we get to tier two. This is where we see the Sixers come in, according to ESPN, one of three teams that are on the cusp of being a contender with the Orlando Magic and the Atlanta Hawks. They did have the Sixers at the bottom of this tier here. So, how do they stack up these other two teams that ESPN views in their same region? Well, the Magic also made a pretty big time move this off season, bringing in Desmond Bane in a monster trade to fill that huge need they had to fill that three-point shooting void that was on their roster. So, look, that starting five is great. Suggs, Bane, Vagner, Paulo, Wendell, Carter. I like their bench a lot. A lot of great players. Anthony Black, Taius Jones. I love the drafting of Jace Richardson. Some young players in there as well. You got Jonathan Isaac. They bring back Mo Vagner as well. when I wanted the Sixers to try to get this off season. So, another very talented team who’s trying to take advantage of a weaker Eastern Conference by making an all-in type of trade. But, as talented as they are, also have their flaws, of course. They’re still young and they’re unproven, right? Their stars in Paulo and France, young players who have some playoff experience, but not a ton. And bringing in Desmond Bane going to shake things up. We have to see how this iteration of this team does work out. So again, not a team that I’m looking at saying, yeah, they’re definitely better than the Sixers. They’re very, very talented for sure, but also unproven. Going to be a dangerous team though to watch out for if everything does click. And the Atlanta Hawks, you know, kind of in a similar vein, although not quite as good last year in the past couple seasons as Orlando has been, but love the moves they made as well. Bringing in a Nquille Alexander Walker to come off the bench, be that combo guard. Been really good for Minnesota. And of course they acquire Chris’s Porzingis now. So with Jaylen Johnson coming back healthy that starting five is an absolute unit. I love the drafting of Asa Newell as well. They bring in Luke Canard and they still have former number one overall pick. Zachary Reach probably coming off the bench as well. Now the Hawks health going to be a big question for them. Similar to the Sixers now not quite as bad for Atlanta as it is for Philly. But Jaylen Johnson coming off a season ending injury. We know Chris Eps Porzingis has had his troubles staying healthy. So, they’re going to have to stay healthy and of course prove that they can put all the pieces together. We know the trouble Atlanta has given Philadelphia in the past in the playoffs. Not going to revisit that too much, but another team you should be worried about, but another team that you’re not absolutely terrified of, right? And that brings us to the 76ers, also in this tier of teams that are right there on the cusp. According to ESPN, this was their little write up on Philadelphia. Sixers, one of the most challenging teams to place for an obvious reason. They had the talent and the experience to make a run, but always the questions of whether Joel Embiid and company can stay healthy long enough to make a real run. And after last season season’s disaster, which began with title hopes after the acquisition of Paul George, resulting in 104 combined missed games between him and Embiid during a 24- win season. Same health questions front and center once again. Another question, Philly certainly has the depth, mentioning possibly keeping Quinton Grimes here, which I assume they will, but how will it manage having such young talent in spots while playing for the ultimate goal? It’s not often you have a number three pick such as BJ Edgecom playing alongside a trio of stars. Of course, Jared McCain, one of the best rookies from last year as well before tearing his left meniscus in December, only 21, should also be a key contributor. So, look, Philadelphia certainly has a lot of question marks, right? very very unpredictable as ESPN mentioned and for a very good reason the health reasons as they mentioned the kind of two timeline approach that they’re trying to balance right now with a lot of young talent and of course the older veterans in Joel Embiid and Paul George but you know with that being said if everything goes right which I know it’s a big if right and Sixers fans don’t want to hear all this positivity sometimes but if everything goes right and these guys can stay healthy I don’t think you can deny that it’s one of the better rosters in the Eastern Conference, especially once you officially get Quinton Grimes back in there. I would slot him at the starting two guard. All of a sudden, Maxi Grimes PG Ubé Embiid off the bench. McCain, Edgecom, who’s looked great in summer league. Edwards is coming off a great rookie season. You draft Jai Broom, you sign Tren Wadford, Adam Bona, Andre Drummond still on the roster. Like, it’s still a talented team. And what kind of Joel Embiid do we get? I don’t think they need him to be the 35 point per game guy that was winning MVP back a few years ago. I think if he takes a little bit of a back seat now you need everybody to stay healthy for that. Save him for the playoffs. You could have a team that could really really make some noise. And especially this season, I think you have to take advantage. Again, we’ve talked about it before on the show. But with the injury to Jason Tatum, with the injury to Damen Lillard, with the injury to Tyrese Hallebertton, three teams right there in Boston, Milwaukee, and Indiana that were at the top of the East that you don’t think will be really contending this year. You haven’t seen them in ESPN’s tier yet yet here today. So, this has to be the season for Philadelphia and ally before Embiid starts to get too much older, before Paul George starts to get too much older. I think putting them in this tier is the right spot. They’re not far and away one of the top teams because they have all these questions, but man, if things do click, they are going to be a team that nobody’s going to want to play come playoff time, assuming everybody is healthy. Fill in the blank before we get to the rest of these tiers here from ESPN. The Sixers are the blank best team in the East. First, second, third, maybe 13th again, like they were just a season ago. Go ahead, let me know down in the comments section. Now, this is where we get to a couple of teams I mentioned before, and this is the tier ESPN listed as long shots. For one reason or another, they have slight hopes, but something’s holding them back a little bit, whether that’s being injury like the Celtics or the Bucks or just some youth questions and some roster turnover questions here with the Detroit Pistons. So, teams in that third tier. Look, obviously, as I mentioned, Boston with the injury to Jason Tatum, obviously sending out Drew Holidayiday, Chris Porzingis, a little bit of a transition year for Boston, but you know, still have Derek White and Jaylen Brown on the roster. They still have a talented team. So, you don’t want to have to play Boston, but not the powerhouse, of course, they’ve been in the past few years. I honestly would argue maybe Detroit should be in tier two with what they did last year. Gave the Knicks a run for their money in that first round. Kade Cunningham, does he get even better now? Losing someone like Malik Beasley, what what’s going on with him? That obviously hurts. But you get Jade Ivy back, the Thompson, sorry, Thompson gets even better. I think they have a shot to be a top four seed in the East. And then Milwaukee, of course, with the Dame injury. Yeah, you still have Giannis. They bring Miles Turner. It’s a great addition, but with no Dame, what kind of direction are they going in? We’ll see. Giannis though always gives you at least a chance uh to make some noise come playoff time. Then the Pacers in their own tier here according to ESPN kind of caught right in the middle, right? Not quite up to the level of those other teams because Tyrese Hallebertton going to be off the year with the Achilles and then Miles Turner surprisingly siding with Milwaukee. So they still have guys like Andrew Nehard, Aaron Nmith, Pascal Seakum. What can they get in a possible jump this year from Benedict Matan, the legend TJ McConnell on the roster? They still have talented players, right? They’re definitely not as bad as the teams we’ll get to here in just a second, but without some of their top guys from last season, are they just kind of an average adequate team? I’m sure Rick Carle will have him playing good ball. But do you know those just in the finals last year, if they were completely healthy and they brought everyone back, I say they could go right back there again. But look, just the reality of the NBA now, they’re not going to be as much of a threat. Then we get to some of these more bottom tier teams. Teams that are probably going to be in the playing. It seems like the Heat, Bulls, and Raptors are playing teams really for the past few seasons is kind of where they have been. Um Miami I, you know, I like what they’ve done, but at the same time, Tyler Herobio and the rest of that core, they add Norman Powell as well. I just don’t think a team that’s really going to be contending this year. The Bulls always seem to be stuck in limbo. They’re nothing to be concerned about. The Raptors kind of think they’re fake contending, paying all this money for a team with, you know, some good players like Brandon Ingram and Pascal Seakum. Of course, they still have or Pascal Seakum, I meant Scotty Barnes, of course, Yaka Purle, Emanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett. They’re paying a ton of money for a lot of these guys. Hasn’t resulted in a lot of wins. So, bunch of teams that I think will kind of stay where they’ve been the past couple of years. And then you get to your lotterybound teams, Nets, Wizards, Hornets. I think if if LaMelo’s healthy, I actually like what Charlotte has done drafting Kanupal. Yeah, Brandon Miller in there, of course. LaMelo leading the charge, but Wizards, that’s going to be teams that are competing for that number one overall pick in 2026. Teams you definitely don’t have to worry about. All right, so that’ll do it for today’s show. Look, the Sixers have a chance, man, this season in the East. If you made it this far in today’s show, hopefully that means you enjoyed. If you did, help us out. Hit that thumbs up icon. It really does help here on the show push this video out to more Sixers fans. So, let YouTube know that you like the video. Appreciate it. And we’ll catch you next time right here on 76ers Now. [Music]

ESPN’s 2025-26 NBA Eastern Conference tier rankings have been released with the Philadelphia 76ers landing in Tier 2 with the Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks as teams that are on the cusp of making a deep playoff run. 76ers news and 76ers rumors during the NBA offseason have placed this Sixers team in a position to have a bounce-back season if Joel Embiid, Paul George, Jared McCain and Tyrese Maxey can return from injuries and rookies VJ Edgecombe and Johni Broome can make impacts right away. 76ers Now host Jake Chipper reacts to ESPN’s ranking on the Philadelphia 76ers on today’s show!

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ESPN NBA Eastern Conference Tiers:
Tier 1:
– Cleveland Cavaliers
– New York Knicks
Tier 2:
– Orlando Magic
– Atlanta Hawks
– Philadelphia 76ers
Tier 3:
– Boston Celtics
– Detroit Pistons
– Milwaukee Bucks
Tier 4:
– Indiana Pacers
Tier 5:
– Miami Heat
– Chicago Bulls
– Toronto Raptors
Tier 6:
– Charlotte Hornets
– Washington Wizards
– Brooklyn Nets

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ESPN on the Philadelphia 76ers:
“The 76ers are one of the most challenging teams to place for an obvious reason: They have the talent and the collective experience to make a run, but there’s always the looming question of whether Joel Embiid & Co. will be able to stay healthy long enough to make a serious run.

After last season’s disaster — which began with title hopes after the acquisition of Paul George, but resulted in 104 combined missed games between him and Embiid during a 24-win campaign — the question will be front and center again.

Another question: Philly certainly has depth (the Sixers might even be able to keep restricted free agent Quentin Grimes, who had a stellar finish to last season), but how will it manage having such young talent in spots while playing for the ultimate goal?

It’s not often you have a No. 3 pick such as rookie VJ Edgecombe playing alongside a trio of stars. Jared McCain, who was one of the best rookies last season before tearing his left meniscus in December and sitting out the rest of the season, should also be a key contributor and is only 21.”

Can’t get enough Philadelphia 76ers YouTube videos? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered:
– Philadelphia 76ers Rumors: Top NBA Free Agents Left The Sixers Can Sign For The Minimum https://youtu.be/W1BtnM72XaQ
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– Did The Philadelphia 76ers Fix Their BIGGEST Problem After SNEAKY Free Agency Signing? https://youtu.be/PR-KF2xfvG8

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Philadelphia 76ers roster:
PG: Tyrese Maxey, Kyle Lowry
SG: Jared McCain, VJ Edgecombe, Eric Gordon
SF: Paul George, Justin Edwards, Ricky Council IV
PF: Kelly Oubre Jr., Trendon Watford, Johni Broome
C: Joel Embiid, Adem Bona, Andre Drummond

Philadelphia 76ers 2024-25 stat leaders:
PPG: Tyrese Maxey (25.5)
RPG: Joel Embiid (7.9)
APG: Tyrese Maxey (5.7)
STL: Tyrese Maxey (2.1)
BLK: Joel Embiid (1.0)

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