CAMDEN, N.J. — As the Philadelphia 76ers prepare for the 2025-26 season, they have a fantastic chance to make something happen in the wide-open Eastern Conference. This team is talented, experienced, and versatile as they look to move forward.
With that being said, the Sixers also know they have to show they can do it. Nothing will be assumed in the coming season. Despite having some star talent in the form of Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey, nothing will be given to this team.
President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey knows it, too, and he is going to make sure his team understands that on a daily basis. The Sixers have to prove it all throughout the season.
“Look, collectively — and this has been great messaging from Coach on to our veteran leaders and on down — we’re talking about just winning the day,” said Morey at media day. “1% better every day is the Tyrese phrase that he uses. We realize we’re in the prove-it phase. I don’t think it really matters what we’re saying up here and our expectations at this point. We just need to go out there and prove it, be better every day, and show the city and show the fans that we’re back in the conversation.”
The Sixers walked into the 2024-25 season expecting to be serious contenders in the East. It made sense! Again, the three stars gave them as good a chance as anybody to get it done in the playoffs. However, they were unable to get it done on the floor as injuries played a huge part in Philadelphia being unable to do much in terms of winning games.
Morey went out in the offseason to add younger, versatile pieces, and is hoping those moves will make life easier for coach Nick Nurse when the stars do miss some time.
“We like the pieces we’ve added,” Morey added. “Last year was a little unique. You look at any team when you lose not just one or two or three, but four or five–I think at times last year we were without five to seven of our players that we went into the season thinking were going to be our key players. We’re going to need a little better luck than that, let’s be frank, but we also feel we’ve buffered things better with youth and some new pieces.”
The Sixers are a confident group–they should be–but this will all come down to how they handle their business on a daily basis and whether they can avoid the injury bug. Morey appears to have contingency plans in place, but a talented roster on paper does not mean success. The Sixers learned that lesson in 2025.