The Philadelphia 76ers enter the 2026-27 season with high expectations after making two “splashy” moves and rebuilding their second unit. While bringing in new talent is exciting, having six newcomers on their 15-man roster raises questions about chemistry, among other things.
Philadelphia is coming off another season in which Joel Embiid missed over half the season, and Paul George sat out nearly as many contests. Still, the 76ers — behind Tyrese Maxey’s career season and VJ Edgecombe living up to expectations as the No. 3 pick in the 2025 draft — won 45 games and upset the No. 2 seed Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. However, the Sixers were swept in the second round by the New York Knicks.
Philadelphia has made the playoffs in seven of the last eight seasons. Since 2017- 18, the 76ers have the seventh-best record at .579 (444-357), though they have not made it past the second round during this stretch. The last time the Sixers won at least two postseason series was in 2001, when they reached the NBA Finals.
76ers 2026 Offseason
Three days after being eliminated from the 2026 playoffs, Philadelphia began retooling its basketball operations by firing president of basketball operations Daryl Morey after five and one-half seasons leading the club. On June 4, the Sixers took their time finding a replacement and ultimately hired Mike Gansey, who had spent the previous four seasons as the Cleveland Cavaliers’ general manager. Gansey and former Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers quickly went to work on building the team around Embiid, Maxey and Edgecombe.
Gansey’s first move was selecting Labaron Philon with the No. 22 pick in the first round. But it was the second day of free agency when the 76ers sent shockwaves through the NBA by acquiring 2024 NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown for George and draft capital. The Sixers added Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons, and Ariel Hukporti on July 6, which was the first day teams were officially allowed to sign free agents.
Trading for Brown wasn’t Gansey’s only magic trick of the offseason, as he reeled in free agent LeBron James at the end of July. James chose the 76ers over the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers, two teams he had a history with. The Sixers also signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who played with James with the Los Angeles Lakers, after the 33-year-old worked out a buyout with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Preseason Showed 76ers Have A Lot to Work On
While the preseason gets a bad rap and doesn’t mean anything, it gives players some run in a semi-competitive environment and, more importantly, lets teams evaluate the backend of their roster and make adjustments.
Philadelphia went 1-3 in the preseason, struggling mightily on offense. The 76ers, whose only preseason victory came against the New York Knicks in the opener, finished 27th in offensive rating at 108.8. The Sixers averaged 112.8 points and allowed 117.3 in the four contests. They were also 26th in effective field goal percentage and 23rd in true shooting percentage.
Philadelphia shot just 43.8% from the field in the preseason, with the biggest issue being from deep. The 76ers attempted the ninth-most 3-pointers, nearly 41 per game, but connected on just 11.3 per game (27.8%). Rebounding — particularly on the offensive end — transition defense and injuries were also problems.
However, former 16-year NBA vet and four-time all-star Shawn Marion believes that offensive chemistry is the 76ers’ most pressing concern.
“There are a lot of guys over there and ain’t but one ball,” Marion recently told Kyle Odegard in an exclusive interview for Action Network. “They don’t really call plays anymore, so that’s the uniqueness of the game now, but a lot of guys don’t play well without the ball. Every star doesn’t play well together. I’m optimistic, but I want to see what happens.”
Speaking of the 76ers stars, Brown had a productive preseason, averaging 20.0 points while shooting 58.3% from the field and 38.5% from 3-point range in just 23 minutes over three games. James was efficient in his 42 minutes over two appearances while Maxey and Edgecombe were solid. However, Embiid showed some rust in two contests.
76ers Injury Concerns
Philadelphia has six players on the injury report heading into tonight’s game against New York, including three who have been ruled out.
The Sixers have an injury report for tomorrow’s game @ New York:
Dean Wade – ankle – QUESTIONABLE
Anfernee Simons – hamstring – QUESTIONABLE
Adem Bona – foot – QUESTIONABLE
Dominick Barlow – back – OUT
Tacko Fall – hip – OUT
Ariel Hukporti – Achilles – OUT
— Adam Aaronson (@SixersAdam) October 19, 2026
Dominick Barlow, Ariel Hukporti and Tacko Fall have already been ruled out. Hukporti is out for the season with a torn Achilles while Barlow is slated to miss two weeks with a back injury. Fall is not expected to be sidelined much longer. Meanwhile, decisions on Wade, Simons, and Bona will be made closer to game time.
Barlow and Hukporti’s injuries have definitely weakened the 76ers’ depth, as both players were expected to play a significant role throughout the season. Fall, who is on a two-way contract, wasn’t likely to see time tonight anyway, as Nick Nurse prefers to use an eight- to nine-man rotation.
Now, the Sixers will really be hurting against the Knicks if Wade, Simons, or Bona can’t play. Now, if Simons has to sit out, they at least have several others to fill his minutes.
The 76ers are already down to 14 healthy bodies after three players were ruled out. Now, if Wade and Bona can’t play tonight, Jabari Walker or Justin Edwards would have to see time at the four, which would likely mean James would have to slide over to the five when Embiid rests.
The Last Word
It has been a whirlwind last few months for Philadelphia. But tonight marks the start of a new chapter in 76ers basketball as they open the regular season in New York, where they will raise their 2026 NBA championship banners to MSG’s rafters. It is the first time that the Knicks will do so since 1974 and the third time ever.
It is kind of appropriate for the 76ers to watch the Knicks celebrate their championship. The Sixers have the same goal this year as the Knicks did when they brought in Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, and Mikal Bridges to join Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart over the last two-and-a-half seasons.
Granted, the 76ers have a lot to work on and still have room to grow to reach their goal, just like the Knicks. It took the Knicks two seasons to reach their goal after reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in 2025. There are many similarities between the Knicks and the Sixers, who last won a championship in 1983.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in Philly,” Marion said. “Are they going to be healthy? What are they going to do?”
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