Philadelphia 76ers 2025-26 Season Prediction | Will Joel Embiid & Paul George bounce back?
>> WE ARE RETURNING OUR EYE TO THE NBA BECAUSE WE KNOW IT’S BEEN A WHILE SINCE WE’VE SEEN JOEL EMBIID PLAY BASKETBALL. SEASON ENDING KNEE SURGERY AVERAGED OVER 23 POINTS PER GAME LAST YEAR AND YET HE MISSED 63 GAMES. HE WAS NOT THE ONLY START TO MISS TIME. PAUL GEORGE THEY ARE MISSED 41 GAMES. TYRESE MAXEY CONTRIBUTED JUST OVER 26 POINTS. HE MISSED GAMES. AND PAUL GEORGE JUST HAD KNEE SURGERY EARLIER THIS WEEK. LOTS OF QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED OF THE 76ers AS THEY COME INTO THE NEW SEASON. IT STILL GOT A WAYS TO GO. NEVER TOO EARLY TO BREAK DOWN THE ASSOCIATION. WE HAVE JOHN GONZALES AND TIM DOYLE JOINING US HERE. I WANT TO START WITH THE FUTURE OF JOEL EMBIID. EVER SINCE HE WON AN BP, HE HAS PLAYED AND 58 REGULAR-SEASON GAMES, SEVEN POSTSEASON MATCHES. TEAM PRESIDENT DARREN MORI BELIEVES THAT HE WILL BE READY TO GO FOR TRAINING CAMP. TRUE OR FALSE JOEL EMBIID WILL BE READY FOR THE 2025 SEASON IN OCTOBER? >> THIS IS WHAT THEY TOLD US LAST YEAR. FALSE. I SHOULD NOTE THAT ASKING SOMEONE FROM PHILADELPHIA TO TALK ABOUT THIS TEAM FEELS A LITTLE AGGRESSIVE TO MY END. I AM NOT LOVING THIS WORK ENVIRONMENT. I’M GOING TO HAVE TO TALK TO HR ABOUT THIS. THERE MIGHT BE A COMPLAINT FILED. IT’S A LOT. DERRON MOORE CAN SAY WHATEVER HE WANTS TO ABOUT JOEL EMBIID BUT WE GOT IT LAST YEAR. IF YOU RECALL, LAST YEAR WE WERE TOLD COMING OUT OF THE OLYMPICS THAT JOEL EMBIID WAS IN CAREER-BEST SHAPE. WHAT HAPPENED? HE PLAYED 19 GAMES. HE SHOVED A REPORTER, FREQUENTLY INJURED, THE WHEEL CAME OFF THE TEAM THAT ONLY 124 GAMES PEERED THEY WENT INTO THE TANK. GOING INTO THE TANK ENDED UP RESULTING IN GETTING VIJAY EDGECOMB COME IN THE THIRD PICK BUT ALL ROADS LEAD BACK TO JOEL EMBIID. IF HE HASN’T HEALTHY AND OUT THERE, THIS TEAM IS SUNK BEFORE THEY GET STARTED. THEY CAN SAY WHATEVER THEY WANT IN JULY. GET BACK TO ME IN OCTOBER WHEN THE GAMES START. >> THAT WAS AN AMAZING ANSWER BY YOU. YOU DID THAT IN 30 SECONDS. I KNOW, JOHN, THAT COULD HAVE BEEN A TWO-HOUR SHOW. THAT QUESTION AND PHILADELPHIA, BECAUSE YOU ARE A LEGEND THERE, YOU ANSWER THAT QUESTION IN AROUND 30 SECONDS. >> REALLY GOOD STUFF JOHN. >> GREAT JOB BY YOU, JOHN. THE LAST TWO SEASONS, IT’S BEEN A NIGHTMARE. NO OTHER WAY TO SAY IT. THE PREVIOUS THREE SEASONS HE FINISHED FIRST IN MVP, SECOND AND A SECOND. HE MISSED HIS FIRST TWO YEARS IN THE NBA ALTOGETHER. I BELIEVE NBA BASKETBALL PLAYERS, THEIR PRIME IS IT 28-31. THAT IS — YOU ARE AMAZING AT THAT POINT. JOEL EMBIID, THIS ENTIRE SEASON, IT IS GOING TO BE 31 YEARS OLD. TURNING 32 IN MARCH. THIS IS THE CONCERN WITH JOEL EMBIID. YOU CAN’T MAKE THE CLUB IN THE TUB. MEANING THE COLD TUB BECAUSE YOU ARE ALWAYS HURT. THE GUY IS AN AMAZING PLAYER. HE MAKES $55 MILLION A YEAR. HE HAS A PARTNER, HE HAS A SON WHO IS FOUR YEARS OLD. MY QUESTION IS, AT THIS POINT IN HIS CAREER, IS HE PUTTING IN THE WORK? WHY IS IT ALWAYS THAT AGE? 28-31. THAT IS WHEN PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES — IT’S ONE I SETTLED DOWN IN LIFE. GET MARRIED, SETTLE DOWN, HAVE A FAMILY, PRIORITIES CHANGE. IF I WAS MAKING $55 MILLION A YEAR, IT WOULD BE HIGHLY UNLIKELY I WOULD BE TALKING TO BOTH OF YOU GUYS. I WOULD BE SIPPING A MARGARITA SOMEWHERE ON A BEACH. THE GUY’S AN AMAZING TALENT AND AS A BASKETBALL FAN, JOHN KNOWS THAT YOU WANT TO SEE HIM ON THE FLOOR BUT HE IS A QUESTION MARK GOING INTO EVERY SEASON. >> I PICKED UP AFTER YOU SHOWED US HOW LONG IT TOOK JOHN TO TALK FOR 30 SECONDS AND YOU TALKED FOR A MINUTE AND 23. SO KEEP THINGS TIGHT HERE AS WE MOVE IT ALONG. LET’S TALK ABOUT PAUL GEORGE NEXT. IT SEEMS LIKE THOSE KNEE SCOPES ARE GOING AROUND. HE HAD KNEE SURGERY EARLIER THIS WEEK TO REPAIR A KNEE. YOU ARE SHAKING YOUR HEAD. THAT’S HOW I FEEL WHEN PEOPLE ASKED ME ABOUT THE DALLAS COWBOYS I FEEL YOUR PAIN. WE TALK ABOUT PAUL GEORGE. WHERE IS YOUR CONFIDENCE AT HERE? IT’S NOT JUST JOEL EMBIID, ITS OTHER STORES BEING IMPACTED. >> I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU JUST COMPARED THE SIXERS TO THE COWBOYS PEERED WHAT OCCURS TO SCIENTISTS THAT WAS. CURSED FRANCHISE. PAUL GEORGE WAS HEALTHY THIS SUMMER GOES TO SUMMER LEAGUE PEERED WALKING AROUND AND TALKING. PAUL GEORGE WILL BE ALL RIGHT THIS YEAR. AND THEN HE GETS HURT AND HAS TO HAVE KNEE SURGERY. I DON’T KNOW WHAT BASKETBALL GODS THEY HAVE ANGERED BUT THEY NEED TO BURN SOME SAGE AND OFFER A SACRIFICE BECAUSE IT’S BEEN LIKE THAT FOR 20 YEARS BUT HAVEN’T GOTTEN OUT OF THE SECOND ROUND AND BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO THIS TEAM. PAUL GEORGE, I WAS ONE OF THE GUYS ADVOCATING FOR DERRON MOORE TO SIGN PAUL GEORGE LAST YEAR BECAUSE ALL IT DID WAS COST CAP SPACE. HE WAS COMING OFF A BIG CAREER SHOOTING HER WITH THE CLIPPERS. SHOT CAREER HIGH FROM THE FIELD AND CAREER HIGH FROM THE THREE. HE LOOKS AROUND US AND HE CAN’T GET A SHOT TO FALL AND THEN THIS OFF-SEASON, KNEE SURGERY. IF THINGS CONTINUALLY GO FROM BAD TO WORSE TO AWFUL AND STAY BROKEN IN PHILADELPHIA UP TO AND INCLUDING PAUL GEORGE, ALL ROADS GO BACK TO JOEL EMBIID AND THEY ARE DEAD IN THE WATER IF HE ISN’T OUT THERE PLAYING, CLOSE, CLOSE SECOND TIER IS PAUL GEORGE. THEY DON’T JUST NEED HIM TO BE OUT THERE, THEY NEED HIM TO BE AS GOOD AS HE WAS WITH THE CLIPPERS AND I HAVE MY DOUBTS. >> HOW COULD YOU NOT HAVE YOUR DOUBTS PEERED HE WILL BE 35 YEARS OLD AND BY THE WAY, THAT A MINUTE AND 17 SECONDS SO THREE, FOUR TIMES AS MUCH AS IT IS FOR JOEL EMBIID. PAUL GEORGE IS AN AMAZING TALENT THAT NEVER GOT OVER THE TOP TO WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP. HE WAS PLAYOFF. CAN’T WIN IN THE PLAYOFFS. IT’S POETIC JUSTICE THAT THE 76ers SIGNED HIM. PERFECT MARRIAGE. ALL THE TALENT. NEVER FULFILLED IT. HE FITS PERFECTLY ON THE 76ers. I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT FROM PAUL GEORGE. I THINK HE CAUGHT UP RIGHT NOW OFF THE COURT AND HE DOES. HIS PODCAST. HIS PODCAST IS BETTER THAN HIS BASKETBALL GAME. WHEN IT BECOMES AT THAT POINT IN YOUR CAREER WHEN YOUR PODCAST IS BETTER THAN YOUR BASKETBALL GAME, THAT IS NOT A GOOD THING. >> NOT GOING TO BE KNOWN AS A PODCASTER IF YOU ARE PAUL GEORGE. I WOULD BE CURIOUS TO KNOW HOW HE FEELS ABOUT THAT BUT NONETHELESS WE WILL SEE HOW HEALTHY HE IS WHEN TRAINING CAMP GETS UNDERWAY IN OCTOBER. LET’S TALK ABOUT WHAT THE SEASON LOOKS LIKE FOR YOUR 76ers JOHN PEERED THEY FINISHED 16TH IN THE EIGHTH, 24-58. FINISHED ON A TWO-GAME LOSING STREAK, JOHN. THE GOOD NEWS IS THERE’S ONLY ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT PEERED WHAT DO YOU THINK. >> NOWHERE TO GO BUT UP. IT WAS ALWAYS THAT. I FEEL LIKE I HAVE PTSD TALKING ABOUT THE TEAM PEERED WHAT IS MY PREDICTION THIS YEAR? MORE OF THE SAME. TOMFOOLERY PEERED SOMETHING WILL GO WRONG. YOU WILL THINK JOEL EMBIID IS BACK AND THEN HE WILL SLIP ON A BANANA PEEL OR SOMETHING. ON PAPER, THIS TEAM IN A WEAKENED EASTERN CONFERENCE COULD DO THINGS FOR THE CEILING IS HIGH BECAUSE YOU HAVE JOEL EMBIID. YOU HAVE PAUL GEORGE, TYRESE MAXEY, VIJAY EDGECOMB AND THEY LOOK REALLY GOOD. COULD’VE BEEN ROOKIE OF THE YEAR BEFORE HE GOT HURT. OF COURSE HE DID. QUENTIN GRIMES THEY’RE WORKING ON SIGNING HIM BUT ON PAPER THEY ARE LOADED AND OUTSIDE OF THE CAVS AND THE NEXT NEXT, NO ONE SCARES ME. BUT IT’S A CURSED FRANCHISE SO I THINK AT BEST THEY ARE LOOKING AT THE 6-8 SEED RANGE. I’LL TAKE THE HIGHER AND FOR A LITTLE BIT OF MODICUM OF OPTIMISM. I WILL SAY THEY FINISH AS THE 6 SEED BUT IT LOOKS LIKE ANOTHER FIRST ROUND OUT BARRING SOME REALLY UNFORESEEN DRAMATIC IMPROVEMENT BY THIS TEAM THAT HASN’T HAPPENED SINCE ALLEN IVERSON WAS THERE 25 YEARS AGO. >> TIME TO BREATHE. BREATHE. THE EASTERN CONFERENCE IS VERY WEAK THIS YEAR. ORLANDO IS MAY BE THE BEST TEAM IN THE EAST. BUT TO JOHN’S POINT, IF I HAD TO HAVE A PREDICTION, MY PREDICTION IS INCOMPLETE. I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THIS TEAM. TO JOHN’S POINT, IF THEY ARE HEALTHY, THEY COULD BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. BUT THE 76ers AND THE CLIPPERS IN THE WESTERN CONFERENCE, I DON’T KNOW. IT’S SOMETHING ABOUT THOSE TEAMS. THEY ALWAYS FIGURE OUT A WAY TO LET YOU DOWN. >> YES THEY DO. JOHN, I AM CERTAINLY HOPING THAT THEY DON’T LET YOU DOWN THIS YEAR. DEEP BREATHS AS TIM IS SAYING. DEEP BREATHS. WE WILL KEEP OUR EYES ON THE 76ers THIS YEAR. 12-1 ODDS TO WIN THE EAST. THE EAST IS A LITTLE WEAK THIS YEAR BECAUSE OF INJURIES. IT IS THE CAVS LEAVING THE WAY WHEN IT COMES TO THE SHORTEST ODDS AT PLUS 240 BUT WHO KNOWS PEERED THE 76ers ARE A
John Gonzalez and Tim Doyle join CBS Sports HQ to discuss the biggest offseason storylines for the Philadelphia 76ers. Also, they look ahead to the 2025-26 NBA Season.
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