Written By: Guy Stanley
History
The Philadelphia 76ers, commonly referred to as “The Sixers”, is a NBA franchise created in 1939. The name 76ers' refers to the date (1776) in which the declaration of independence was signed and it is the oldest franchise in the NBA.
The franchise was first created in Syracuse, New York, and was originally called “The Nationals”. Despite never missing a playoff appearance, “The Nationals” weren’t a very profitable franchise and were sold and relocated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1963, where it was renamed. The franchise has won a total of 3 championships (1955, 1967, and 1983) and has made a total of 9 final appearances (1950, 1954, 1955, 1967, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1983, and 2001).
Famous Legends
The Sixers have a strong roster filled with many legends. These are some of the players that have earned the honour of having their jersey retired in the franchise (no other player can wear the number they wore).
Wilt Chamberlain
Jersey Number: #13
Nickname: The Big Dipper
Seasons Played With Sixers: 4 (1965-1968)
Jersey Retired: March 18, 1991
Height: 7’1”
College: Kansas University
Draft: 1959, Territorial
Awards:
2x NBA Champion (1967, 1972)
13x NBA All-Star
10x All-NBA
2x NBA All Defense
7x NBA Scoring Champion
11x NBA Rebounding Champion
NBA Assists Leader (1968)
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (1978)
NBA 35th Anniversary Team (1971)
NBA 50th Anniversary Team (1996)
NBA 75th Anniversary Team (2022)
Career Stats:
PPG: 30.1
RPG: 22.9
APG: 4.4
FG%: 54.0
FT%: 51.1
Total Games: 1045
Career Highs:
PTS: 100
REB: 55
AST: 21
Triple-Doubles: 78
Julius Erving
Jersey Number: #6
Nickname: Dr. J
Seasons Played With Sixers: 11 (1976-1987)
Jersey Retired: April 18, 1988
Height: 6’7”
College: University of Massachusetts
Draft: 1972, Round 1, 12th Overall Pick
Awards:
NBA Champion (1983)
NBA Most Valuable Player (1981)
11x NBA All-Star
2x NBA All-Star Game MVP
7x All-NBA
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (1993)
NBA 35th Anniversary Team (1971)
NBA 50th Anniversary Team (1996)
NBA 75th Anniversary Team (2022)
Career Stats:
PPG: 24.2
RPG: 8.5
APG: 4.2
FG%: 50.9
FT%: 77.7
Total Games: 1243
Career Highs:
PTS: 63
REB: 26
AST: 12
Triple-Doubles: 7
Moses Malone
Jersey Number: #2
Nickname: The Chairman of the Boards
Seasons Played With Sixers: 5 (1982-1986, 1993-1994)
Jersey Retired: Feb. 8, 2019
Height: 6’11”
College: N/A
Draft: 1974, Round 3 (ABA)
Awards:
NBA Champion (1983)
NBA Finals MVP (1983)
3x NBA Most Valuable Player
12x NBA All-Star
8x All-NBA
2x All-Defense
6x NBA Rebounding Champion
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2001)
NBA 50th Anniversary Team (1996)
NBA 75th Anniversary Team (2022)
Career Stats:
PPG: 20.3
RPG: 12.3
APG: 1.3
FG%: 49.5
FT%: 76.0
Total Games: 1455
Career Highs:
PTS: 53
REB: 37
AST: 7
Triple-Doubles: 0
Charles Barkley
Jersey Number: #34
Nickname: Sir Charles
Seasons Played With Sixers: 8 (1984-1992)
Jersey Retired: March 30, 2001
Height: 6’6”
College: Auburn University
Draft: 1984, Round 1, 5th Overall Pick
Awards:
1993 NBA Most Valuable Player
11x NBA All-Star
NBA All-Star Game MVP (1991)
11x All-NBA
NBA All-Rookie First Team (1985)
NBA Rebounding Leader (1988)
3x IBM Award Winner
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2006)
Olympic Gold Medal, USA Basketball (1992)
NBA 50th Anniversary Team (1996)
NBA 75th Anniversary Team (2022)
Career Stats:
PPG: 20.3
RPG: 12.3
APG: 1.3
FG%: 49.5
FT%: 76.0
Total Games: 1455
Career Highs:
PTS: 53
REB: 37
AST: 7
Triple-Doubles: 0
Allen Iverson
Jersey Number: #3
Nickname: The Answer
Seasons Played With Sixers: 11 (1996-2006, 2009-2010)
Jersey Retired: March 1, 2014
Height: 6’1”
College: Georgetown University
Draft: 1996, Round 1, 1st Overall Pick
Awards:
2001 NBA Most Valuable Player
11x NBA All-Star
2x NBA All-Star Game MVP
7x All-NBA
1996 NBA Rookie of the Year
4x NBA Scoring Champion
3x NBA Steals Leader
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2016)
NBA 75th Anniversary Team (2022)
Career Stats:
PPG: 26.7
RPG: 3.7
APG: 6.2
FG%: 45.2
FT%: 78.0
Total Games: 914
Career Highs:
PTS: 60
REB: 11
AST: 16
Triple-Doubles: 1
Current Team (2022-2023)
Starting 5
Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid is the franchise player, in which the team builds around. Born in 1994,Embiid was raised in Cameroon but left in 2012 to pursue his basketball dreams. After honing his skills in America, Embiid played in college at Kansas University. He is a 7 foot center, 6 time All-Star, and a 2 time scoring champion in the league. His most impressive award was the Most Valuable Player, which he earned this season (2022-2023) where he averaged 33.1 ppg, 10.2 rpg, and 4.2 apg and earned a consecutive scoring champion title.
James Harden
James Harden is a hall of fame veteran in the NBA, with 10 All-Star appearances, 3 time leading scorer titles, a place on the NBA 75th anniversary team, and more. Starting out in Oklahoma City Thunder, Jame Harden went on to play for the Houston Rockets where he shocked the world earning MVP with his exemplary stats. After being traded from the Brooklyn Nets, James Harden came to the Sixers. This season James Harden earned the title of assist champion in the NBA and averaged 21 ppg, 6.1 rpg, and 10.7 apg.
Tyrese Maxey
Tyrese Maxey is a young, up-and-coming star in the NBA. He was the 21st draft pick in 2020 and continues to improve every season. He played in college at the University of Kentucky. At 6 foot 2, Maxey plays the Point Guard/Shooting Guard position. He is known for his quickness and ability to get past the defender and finish at the rim. This season Tyrese Maxey is nicknamed the “Prince of the City '' as, although he is young, he shows improvement every year and a possible future “heir” (franchise player) to the 76er franchise. This season he averaged 20.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, and 3.5 apg.
Tobias Harris
Tobias Harris is a 6 foot 8 Small Forward/Power Forward, He played basketball at Tennessee University. H was introduced in the NBA in 2011 where he was drafted 19th overall by the Charlotte Bobcats (now known as the Charlotte Hornets) but on the same night, he was then traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, from then on Tobias Harris has been traded from many teams in the league, until he finally got traded to the Philadelphia Sixers. This season Tobias Harris averaged 14.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg, and 2.5 apg. Although those stats do not seem impressive, Tobias Harris is a role player, and for a role player those stats are above average.
P.J. Tucker
P.J. Tucker (Pops Junior, a nickname given to him by his father) played basketball in college at Texas University and has been on many teams in the NBA. Throughout his career P.J Tucker has been known as the energy on his team. He is only 6 foot 5 but his high energy and physicality allows him to be an excellent power forward, and even a center. Although P.J lacks an offensive force, his defensive presence is strong. In 2021, P.J Tucker played for the Milwaukee Bucks and contributed to their championship win. This season P.J. Tucker averaged 3.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg, and 0.8 apg.
Why They’re Losing & How They should Improve
The 2022-2023 Season
The Sixers during the regular season are impressive, finishing 3rd in the East. Their franchise player, Joel Embiid, leads the league in scoring, with a 33.1 average points per game. Their hall of fame veteran James Harden leads the league with assists, with 10.7 assists per game, as well as the rising star Tyrese Maxey who solidified his worth with 20.3 points per game. Moreover, the Sixers have a strong locker room presence, a promising bench team, and P.J Tucker contributes a lot to their defense. Hope seems to arise for the city of Philadelphia.
All seems well for Philadelphia until the postseason begins. The playoffs begin well for the Sixers. They sweep the Brooklyn Nets, which only grows the hope created during the regular season. Their star, Embiid, is notorious for becoming injured during the playoffs. This happened as the Sixers fought against the nets and led him to miss game 1 against the strong Boston Celtics, who placed 2nd in the East. Fear struck the Sixers as they knew it would take everything they had to beat the Celtics. From that fear James Harden, the former MVP and leading scorer, arose, scoring an outstanding 45 points to steal game 1 shocking Boston. Game 2 was embarrassing for the Sixers as they lost by 34 points, Joel Embiid only scored a depressing 15 points. After Embiid was awarded the Most Valuable Player, the Celtics took Game 3 in Philadelphia birthing fear in the hearts of the fans. Harden fought back in Game 4 scoring 42 points, reminding people of his former self, and beat the Celtics by 1 point. Tyrese Maxey brought hope to the franchise, securing the win in Game 5 and scoring 30 points. This was the perfect opportunity for the Sixers to finally put an end to their playoff curse, a chance to finally make the conference finals since 2001. Game 6 was at Philadelphia, the Celtics star Jayson Tatum was in a slump producing a weak 23.5 points per game, everything was looking up for Philadelphia. But they choked a lead coming out of the 4th quarter and lost Game 6. The Celtics won Game 7 by a landslide (24 points), Embiid and Harden combined for measly 24 points while Jayson Tatum scored 51, breaking the hearts of the people in Philadelphia.
There are many reasons as to why the Sixers continue to fail during the postseason. From the players to the coaching, there are many reasons the Sixers are consistently absent from postseason success.
Players
Joel Embiid:
Problems:
Joel Embiid dominates the regular season, seeming rather unstoppable. Although many people do not agree with his technique, flopping and foul baiting, they bring results (more points). Many people question how such a presiding force is consistently brought down during the playoffs
Due to the importance of the playoffs players begin to try harder, defense begins to strengthen, players who are usually relaxed begin hustling for the championship. Embiid does not take this approach but rather continues to look for fouls and excuses instead of hustling and playing with heart. In 2023 Due to the stronger defense and the decrease in fouls called, Embiid's 33.1 ppg dropped to 23.7 ppg during the playoffs.
In addition, Embiid seems to be injured frequently, particularly during the playoffs, and although this excuses his poorer performance, I believe that the truly great players rise above such adversities and still find new ways to win. I believe that Embiid is not as competitive as other players, focusing on recognition rather than playing the game.
How He Can Improve:
Now that Embiid has finally received his sought after MVP title in 2023, his ambition may begin to grow, becoming more motivated to win a championship. This hunger to win could cause him to adjust his mindset to that of a great playoff player and make him become more willing to hustle and focus on winning games rather than awards. Carrying his undoubted regular season dominance to the playoffs and being there for the rest of the team when the Sixers need him. On offense Embiid tends to focus more on getting to his spots and playing 1 on 1, if he begins to strive to win and become more willing to hustle, he may begin to utilize his giant physique to secure more offensive rebounds and set stronger screens and contribute more to the team rather then 1 on 1. If utilized correctly Embiid can become an unstoppable player. A man his size with a strong handle and a good shot would make him an extremely threatening player in today's game. If Embiid realizes that foul baiting won’t be as effective in the postseason and begins to focus on finding other ways to score without fouls he can carry his regular season dominance to the postseason and allow the Sixers to experience their long awaited success. If Embiid begins to strive to win games then he won’t look to depend on injuries and other such excuses and will rise above them and work harder to secure a victory.
James Harden
James Harden was once a one-man army. In 2018 he earned MVP scoring an exceptionally high 30.1 ppg, 8.8 apg, 5.4 rpg, taking the Houston Rockets to Game 7 in the Western Conference Finals against the fully stacked Warriors. Although his current performance does not outshine his past, he is still considered a very strong offensive presence in the NBA. He led the league in assists and due to his focus towards play making, people speculated that he would be the perfect match with the scoring powerhouse that is Joel Embiid.
Problems:
Both Harden and Embiid are known for having troubles during the postseason. Although Harden had some games that reminded us of his former self, tying his career high for points in the playoffs at 45 points, he is inconsistent in his performance. He played a few good games but with the others he was nowhere to be found to help on offense. Harden is well known for his liability on the defensive end and can be somewhat lazy. When he is not shooting well it seems as though his confidence begins to drop, causing him to create unnecessary turnovers, hesitating to take shots. This causes him to become less of a threat on offense allowing the opposing team to focus on other players, like Embiid, on defense, limiting his offensive output.
How He Can Improve:
James Harden has been shown to still have the ability to be a strong offensive player. If Harden trains harder, rather than partying, his consistency of good performances will increase. He will begin to become more confident and shoot more. This will lead to him attempting and scoring more shots, diverting focus, defensively, on the rest of the team as he will cause more of a threat. This will inevitably lead to more opportunities to score. If Harden's confidence increases then he will reduce the amount of turnovers he makes, and find better passes leading to more successful offensive possessions. This can be done offensively and defensively.
Role Players:
The Sixers have solid role players and a strong bench. Despite the impressive bench and role players, the Sixers are rarely ever able to trust them to win games but rather uses them to allow the stars to rest before producing large numbers to win a game. This causes the team to be somewhat fragile as without the superstars to produce strong numbers the games fall on luck and whether the other team is not playing well. While the role and bench players can sometimes be good they are inconsistent. They also don’t have a truly confident 3 point shooter. If they find this then so many more options will open up offensively, for example if Embiid is getting double teamed in the paint he can dish it out (pass it out) to the open shooter and, if a confident 3 point shooter, it should be an easy 3 points. A team with 5 players that can score 20 will be more successful, especially in the playoffs, than a team with 1 player that can score 50 because sometimes that 1 player won't and without him the team is lost.
How They Can Improve:
Tyrese Maxey
The Sixers need to trust Tyrese Maxey more, such as running the offense through him on more occasions, which will only benefit the team, especially since Maxey is quick, has a nice touch around the rim and a strong shot. This will prevent the defenders from getting familiar with the Sixers offense, as they would then have to adjust for James Harden’s, Embiid’s, and Tyrese Maxey’s unique play styles, strengthening their offense.
Tobias Harris
I believe the Sixers can trade Tobias Harris for a better role play or possibly a few good role players or a few picks in the draft. Tobias Harris is good but not consistent, I believe, if done right, the Sixers trading Tobias Harris will only bring good.
P.J Tucker
If P.J. Tucker is able to perform more consistently on the 3 then it will improve his usage offensively, allowing the team to become stronger offensively.
Bench
If Paul Reed becomes more confident offensively and De’Anothony Melton produces the same, if not better, defensively then the team will benefit.
Coaching
Coaching Staff:
Doc Rivers has been recognised as one of the NBA’s best coaches of all time. Some say he is overrated and despite his inexperience, he coached 24-straight seasons, and is known to be kind to players. He has only ever earned one championship and this was done with a team with many superstars. Many people and former players have said that players do not respect Doc Rivers, which is a quality required for a strong coach. He is known to let players do whatever they want to do, for example allowing James Harden to party at clubs before an important game, which may tie into the reason players have come to not respect him. Doc Rivers is also known for being unable to make in game adjustments and mainly depends on his players to make those adjustments. Doc Rivers has come to be infamous for blowing leads during the playoffs and choking when the win is in grasp.
How They Can Improve:
I believe it was a good decision to fire Rivers and recruit Nick Nurse in the 2023 offseason. I believe that Nick Nurse will take on a more assertive role and earn the respect of the players far better than Doc Rivers. I believe that Nick Nurse will add more 3 point shooting in his game plans. If this is successful then it will space out the floor and allow Embiid to control the paint (the area near the basket) more freely. As well as just putting up more points, Nurse will also direct the players to focus more on ball movement rather than getting Embiid or Harden the ball and letting them play 1 on 1. This may make the team less dependent on the production of the star players and cause the opposing team to take on a larger load on defense in general, possibly tiring them out faster, decreasing their offensive and defensive production.
Conclusion
The Sixers have the ability to go far in the playoffs. They have great potential to become much more successful. As Philadelphian I believe the team can easily make the adjustments listed above and win a championship in the upcoming years.
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