As the Philadelphia 76ers look ahead to the 2025-26 season, it’s hard to project what they could do on the floor. On the one hand, if Joel Embiid and Paul George are healthy, then the Sixers should absolutely be in the mix for a title.
On the other hand, both Embiid and George are coming off injury ravaged seasons. Embiid underwent left knee surgery in April–his second in 14 months–and George underwent an offseason procedure on his left knee. Although George’s procedure is considered minor, it is yet another one he has to overcome with the Sixers.
Bleacher Report graded the offenses in the NBA and the Sixers received a “C-minus” grade as they gave them reasons to thrive:
Even as veterans like Joel Embiid and Paul George fight through injuries, a nice young core is building here. Adding No. 3 overall pick VJ Edgecombe alongside Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain gives this team a tantalizing backcourt to build around for the next decade.
As long as Maxey was on the floor last season, the Sixers had an above-average offense (115.3 rating, 56th percentile).
With that being said, there are reasons for the Sixers to struggle on the offensive end:
George underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in the middle of July and will almost certainly miss the beginning of the season. At age 35, it’s fair to question if he’ll ever come close to making an All-Star team again.
Embiid played a career-low 19 games last season and is 31. There’s also no true power forward on this team, meaning George or Kelly Oubre Jr. will likely be forced to play the position. There are just too many injury concerns to think this will be a consistently good offense.
Everything the Sixers do in the upcoming season will depend on the health of Embiid and George. If those two are ready to go, then they will be able to challenge for the Eastern Conference title. If not, then they will be looking ahead to the 2026 draft.