2 hours Ago By Jeremy Goldstein
The Philadelphia 76ers were the talk of the NBA offseason ; now, some in the team's front office are calculating just how many games the 76ers need to win to crack the East play-in tournament. Philadelphia started the campaign 3-14 mostly due to injuries for stars Joel Embiid and Paul George . ESPN 's Ramone Shelbourne is reporting team sources are projecting the team must win 33 games to have a shot at the play-in (meaning they must go 30-35 the rest of the way).
"The offseason victory lap has long since turned into a desperate sprint toward a more tepid goal: winning enough games to stay within striking distance of a play-in tournament appearance," Shelbourne wrote. The East features a dearth of strong teams this season, potentially paving the way for Philadelphia to make the playoffs even with a poor record. Charles Barkley told 'welcome to reality' after being 'traded' to ESPN Cooper Flagg gives Nets headache as Brooklyn mindful of Detroit Pistons ordeal "Team sources estimate will take at least 33 wins in the putrid Eastern Conference.
Philadelphia entered the season projected to win 51.5 games," Shelbourne continued. The 76ers' three wins have not come against the finest competition: the Indiana Pacers, the Brooklyn Nets, and the Charlotte Hornets.
Still, the team is priced at +1400 to win the NBA title at Fanduel. The team fell 122-115 to the Rockets at home on Wednesday night in overtime. Fourth-year guard Tyrese Maxey led the way for Philadelphia with 39 points in the defeat.
Coach Nick Nurse would have hoped to pair Maxey more frequently with the duo of Embiid and George. The 2022-23 MVP center has played in just four games this season with what the team is calling "knee management." Embiid had surgery this offseason to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.
He still traveled to France to help Team USA win a gold medal at the Paris Olympics, much to the chagrin of many 76ers fans. “I don’t think we know," Nurse said of Embiid's status ahead of Wednesday's game. "The needs to play again to see how it reacts.
That’s kind of where we’re at right now.” George suffered a hyperextended left knee last week, limiting him to just eight games on the year. When healthy, he's been terrible - the nine-time All-Star is averaging just 14.
9 points on 38.3% shooting. He's averaged 21+ points in nine straight seasons.
Rookie Jared McCain has been the team's lone bright spot. The 16th overall pick in the 2024 draft is averaging 16.6 points in 23.
9 minutes. He is the -135 favorite at Fanduel to win Rookie of the Year. One source told Shelbourne: "Except for [Jared] McCain, everything that could go wrong, has gone wrong.
".
