Feb 20, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) and guard Tyrese Maxey (0) talk in the final minute of the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

ESPN Evaluates Whether Philadelphia 76ers Are Title Contenders

Originally posted on Philadelphia 76ers on SI
By Eric Jay Santos | Last updated Jun 29, 2025 6:47 PM ET

With the NBA transitioning into the offseason, ESPN evaluated how close each team is to a championship. The 30 franchises were divided into 10 categories, ranging from ‘True NBA Title Contender’ to ‘Sitting at Step 1’.

The Philadelphia 76ers were categorized in the ‘Will the real team please stand up?’ tier.

“Any predictions for Philadelphia hinge on Joel Embiid's health, which remains very much an open question. Philly will be hoping it can get something close to full strength from Embiid next season, as well as a better version of Paul George and an able-bodied Jared McCain, after the rookie standout was shut down with a left meniscus injury in December. The 76ers enjoyed a good start to their offseason by jumping to third in the lottery and thus keeping their top-six protected pick.”

For the 2024-2025 season, 2023 MVP Joel Embiid was limited to 19 games due to injury. Paul George was also impacted by injuries, missing over 40 games. These hardships contributed to the 76ers’ 24-58 record, making it hard to predict how the team may perform next year.

The other teams placed in the ‘Will the real team please stand up?’ category are the Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies. Dallas lost momentum after the blockbuster Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade in February, while the Grizzlies fired head coach Taylor Jenkins after a disappointing late-season run.

While ESPN’s offseason guide doesn’t classify the 76ers as title contenders heading into the summer, the team has the potential to make a playoff run in 2026. Prior to this April, Philadelphia had made seven consecutive postseason appearances.