What to Expect From Sixers’ 2024-25 Season
Last year, the Sixers finished the season with the 7th seed in the Easter conference.
They projected to finish with a much higher seed earlier in the season since they went 31-8 in games with Joel Embiid.
Embiid missed most of the season due to injury, so the team finished with a 47-35 record.
Now that Embiid wants to prioritize rest and load management, what kind of record can we expect them to have?
Guaranteed Games Without Embiid
Embiid has stated that he will never play back-to-backs in his career. This season, the Sixers have 15 back-to-back games scheduled, and Embiid is already slated to miss the first three games. That totals up to 64 games played by itself with no additional injuries/soreness. We know Embiid will not stay healthy even with that limited schedule. Realistically, Embiid will probably miss another 10-15 games due to injuries.
Maybe more if this knee thing is worse than they are saying (which is extremely possible – maybe likely). Combining that with the back-to-backs brings us to around 57 games this season without serious injuries. That’s a lot of games.
How Will They Play Without Embiid?
PHOTO: Bill Streicher/Imagn Images
Like I said, the Sixers went 31-8 in the 39 games with him last year. That averages out to a record of 61-21, which would have put them at the two seed in the East.
That being said, without Embiid, they went 16-27 in games without them. This resulted in them finishing with the seventh seed and almost missing the playoffs.
If we translate that winning percentage (41.8%) into the 25 games that Embiid will hypothetically miss and the 57 games that he hopefully plays in with last year’s percentage (74.2%), they will total up to a record of 52-30. That also would have put them at second in the conference last year.
That is hypothetical math, but if they do the same thing as last year, they will still contend heavily in the standings. They should do even better than that.
Much Improved Roster
With the signing of Paul George, Caleb Martin, Guerschon Yabusele, and Andre Drummond, and the (almost just as beneficial) loss of Tobias Harris, the Sixers should do better than they did last year in games without Embiid.
George should be able to alleviate a lot of pressure on Embiid, which could keep him healthier and allow him to play more games.
If that happens, then the Sixers should be able to compete for a number-one seed this season.
PHOTO: Bill Streicher/Imagn Images
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