The Wells Fargo Center is buzzing with echoes of the crowd cheering and basketballs dribbling: The Sixers are back! If you’re like me, you have a love-hate relationship with the emotional rollercoaster that the 76ers (and all Philly sports for that matter) put you through. With the season opener resulting in a loss, let’s dive into how the game went down and projections for the season.
The Philadelphia 76ers season opener took place Wednesday, October 23rd, against the Bucks. Unfortunately, this game resulted in a 124-109 loss. Many fans blame this loss on the absence of Joel Embiid and Paul George, who were both unavailable to play due to injuries. Despite the loss, the top performers of the game were Tyrese Maxey with 25 points and 6 rebounds, Kelly Oubre Jr. with 21 points and 2 rebounds, and Andre Drummond with 10 pts and 13 rebounds. The loss may have been hard, but there were small wins, such as for rookie Jared McCain. You may know him from TikTok, but McCain made his first debut in an NBA game late on Wednesday. He managed to score 4 points and 2 rebounds with his only 4 minutes in the game.
Losing the season opener might not be the only loss the 76ers are taking. The NBA has decided to initiate an investigation into the 76ers surrounding Joel Embiid’s participation. Embiid only played in 39 games last season due to knee injuries, therefore the 76ers have initiated a plan to keep Embiid healthy for the postseason. This plan consists of keeping Embiid out of back-to-back games, prompting the NBA to initiate an investigation into the injuries of Embiid and the 76ers plan. Although this investigation isn’t surprising, as the NBA investigates a team any time a star player misses a broadcast, the outcome could vary from a fine to the NBA simply being harsher on the team.
Looking into future games, sources such as Sixers Wire project the team to win around 52 games this season, making them potential title contenders. The article states it’s hard to imagine more wins than this due to the common absences of Embiid and George. Additions to the team this year make the Sixers appear better than they ever have with a roster full of reliable players and talent. Regardless of how future games play out, this 76ers season offers a promising journey (probably full of ups and downs) that is worth following along!