There will be regular season NBA games played today, as the 2024-25 campaign officially kicks off with a pair of high-profile matchups before the vast majority of teams -- including the Sixers -- kick off their 82-game schedules on Wednesday.
Every week, we will check in on power rankings stories across national media outlets to gauge how others feel about the 2024-25 Sixers. Let's get started with the first roundup of the season:
ESPN: 5
"When healthy, the trio of [Joel] Embiid, [Paul[ George and [Tyrese] Maxey is just as good as any team entering this season. If Philadelphia is going to break its decades-long championship drought, it'll be on the backs of those stars delivering in April, May and June. Conversely, this team's weakness is the health record of Embiid and George who are both currently dealing with injuries that stifled them in the preseason. The future of the franchise depends on the chemistry these two superstars cultivate this season -- they just need to be on the court to do so." -- Tim Bontemps
In the wake of the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement and new restrictions on team-building, many teams are straying away from the three-star approach to roster construction. Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey has doubled down on it, reinforcing his longtime belief that the primary objective should be to acquire as much star talent as possible.
NBA.com: 8
"With Embiid hinting that he won’t play in both games of back-to-backs (the Sixers have 15), Andre Drummond’s role is more important. Drummond’s rebounding raises the Sixers’ floor in the non-Embiid games and minutes. In the preseason, he grabbed 28.8% of available boards, easily the highest rate among 432 players who averaged at least 10 minutes in two games or more. (Turnovers will be an issue, though.)" -- John Schuhmann
The Sixers appear to be much more ambitious than ever before in their quest to limit Embiid's workload in the regular season, and Drummond returning to the fold helps embolden that strategy. Drummond's unique skillset was on full display during the preseason, resulting in some gaudy numbers.
MORE: Eye-opening numbers from Sixers preseason
CBS Sports: 6
"Replacing Tobias Harris with Paul George seems like a pretty decent upgrade for the 76ers, who hope that Joel Embiid can continue the utter dominance he displayed before injuring his knee last season... There's no way to keep the Sixers out of the championship conversation with George entering the fold." -- Colin Ward-Henninger
George will indeed be a difference-maker for the Sixers, and his remarkable blend of two-way skills makes him one of the most portable stars in recent league history -- an excellent player who can fit alongside virtually any group of players.
NBC Sports: 5
"It seems cliche to say the 76ers are contenders and then question their ability to stay healthy in the following sentence, but here we are... On paper, the 76ers may be the biggest threat to the Celtics, but they have to prove they can do it consistently on the court." -- Kurt Helin
If the Sixers do make it through the regular season healthy after carefully monitoring the workloads of Embiid and George, it will be fascinating to see how they are discussed entering the playoffs. They will have as much talent as any non-Celtics team in the Eastern Conference, but their record will not reflect that -- and they will likely not have as much experience with their core players sharing the floor as most hopeful contenders.
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