The Philadelphia 76ers will throw their hat back in the ring in terms of contention in the Eastern Conference. The East is wide-open as ever due to the unfortunate injuries to Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum and Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton.
The Sixers are dealing with injury issues of their own as they look to work Joel Embiid and Paul George back into the swing of things, but make no mistake, this is a supremely talented roster when it’s at full strength.
Sixers legend Charles Barkley sat down with Heavy Sports and gave a vote of confidence to this current group moving forward in the East:
“My Sixers, can they get healthy? If (Joel) Embiid and Paul George can get healthy, they might be the team to beat in the East,” he said. “That’s what’s crazy.
Listen, man, I got no idea what’s going on with Embiid and Paul George. I’ve been asked that question all summer. I said, ‘Yo, I can’t give y’all no f****** answer. I don’t know who’s going to play.’”
There are a lot of “ifs” when it comes to the Sixers. One has to wonder what comes next with Embiid and George as they are both taking their time in an effort to get themselves ready for the regular season. Neither of them played in the two Abu Dhabi games and one has to wonder if either will play in Philadelphia’s next preseason game on Oct. 10 against the Orlando Magic.
However, those “ifs” are big season-changing ifs. If the Sixers are healthy. If Embiid can get anywhere close to his MVP level. If George can be an All-Star again. If Jared McCain takes the next step. All of the answers to those questions will determine how far the Sixers can go in the 2025-26 season.