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[Philadelphia 76ers]

Sixers Reacts Results: Fans expect top-six seed finish in Eastern Conference

Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Philadelphia 76ers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

The Philadelphia 76ers will host their home opener on Saturday evening, beginning their season with a 1-0 record after defeating the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.

Before that game even tipped off, however, we wanted to take the temperature of Sixers’ fans. In our first Sixers Reacts Survey this season, we asked readers what they thought the most likely outcome of the 2025-26 campaign would be for the Sixers.

The results are in, and they might surprise you.

With a dominating 59% of the vote, readers said the most likely outcome for the Sixers’ regular season would be a spot in the top six seeds in the Eastern Conference.

Now, that might sound surprising or overly-optimistic. After all, this was a team that finished 13th in the East last season with a 24-58 record! (And it honestly felt even worse than that most of the time…) This season, however, could be a slightly different story.

In the season opener, 2025 No. 3 overall pick VJ Edgecombe started his NBA career with a historic bang, Tyrese Maxey looked damn good alongside him and supporting teammates such as Dominick Barlow impressed beyond expectations. For a game in which Joel Embiid really struggled while Paul George and Jared McCain were sidelined, it went as well as can probably be asked for. Now, that’s just one game, but it seems like the Sixers are coming into this season with a bit more of a proactive plan of how to operate when Embiid and/or George are unavailable or simply aren’t playing dominantly. That bodes a bit better than last season.

Possibly even more impactful here, however, are the external factors working in the Sixers’ favor, mainly that other Eastern Conference teams are dealing with some major injuries this year. Just to name a few of the biggest ones, Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum, Indiana Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton and Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard (who was bought out by the Milwaukee Bucks) are all recovering from Achilles tears that are set to sideline them for the entire season (barring Tatum coming back this year, for whatever reason that’s being considered). Those in addition to others short and long term injuries throughout the East have the conference’s top seeds looking much more open to the taking than past seasons.

FanDuel Sportsbook currently (Oct. 24, 2025, 9 p.m. ET) has the Sixers at -230 odds to make the 2025-26 playoffs and with the sixth-best odds to win the Eastern Conference at +1200 (tied with the Detroit Pistons).

Twenty-eight percent of our fan survey votes point toward a Play-In Tournament appearance from the Sixers this season, which would mean a finish within seeds 7 through 10. Those votes broke down to 19% overall predicting the 76ers to win the pre-postseason tourney, and 9% expecting their campaign to end in the tournament.

That being said, 13% predict the Sixers’ campaign to end in the regular season — no Play-In, no playoffs. This would require the Sixers to finish 12th or worst in the East. A reminder that last year’s 24-win team finished 13th, so this might be a bit pessimistic of a view…

After the last few seasons, though, you can’t really blame Philadelphia fans for having some skepticism, can you?

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/gene...s-results-eastern-conference-philadelphia-nba

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Sixers host Hornets in home opener, both looking to start season 2-0

Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Philadelphia 76ers will take the floor at the Xfinity Mobile Arena for the first time in the 2025-26 regular season, hosting the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night.

The Sixers are — perhaps a bit surprisingly — 1-0 after taking down the Boston Celtics 117-116 at TD Garden earlier this week. It was a gutsy, come-from-behind fourth period win that featured a historic NBA debut from VJ Edgecombe. The 2025 No. 3 overall pick put up a franchise-record 34 points in his first game in the association. The previous Sixers’ record was held by Allen Iverson (30 points, 1996).

Backcourt-mate Tyrese Maxey was right there with Edgecombe making history, too. Maxey put up 40 points on Wednesday night, tying Hall of Famer Hal Greer’s 1969 franchise record for most points scored in a Sixers’ season opener.

Now, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. It was just one game of 82, and we all know how long of a season that can become. But, especially for a season that might not really be about this season, it was a fun start.

And now we move on to game No. 2. As of Friday evening’s injury report, Paul George (knee), Jared McCain (thumb) and Trendon Watford (hamstring) remain out for Philadelphia. Justin Edwards is probable with rib soreness. Joel Embiid, who was on a minutes restriction in the season opener and, frankly, just didn’t have a good first game, is notably not on the injury report.

For Charlotte, Josh Green (rib) and Grant Williams (knee) are both out for Saturday.

The Hornets come to South Philadelphia also 1-0 after comfortably winning their season-opener 136-117 over the visiting Brooklyn Nets. It was the result of a widespread effort from Charlotte, with nine of 10 players taking the floor scoring in the double-digits. Brandon Miller led the way with 25 points and seven assists and LaMelo Ball added 20 points and eight assists. The Hornets out-rebounded the Nets 50-38 and shot the lights out, shooting 53.3% from the field (on 90 attempts) and 47.2% from long range (on 36 attempts).

For the first time in their franchise’s history, the Hornets had two rookies in that opening-night starting lineup: 2025 No. 5 overall pick Kon Knueppel and No. 34 pick Ryan Kalkbrenner. Knueppel put up 11 points (4-6 FG, 3-4 3PT) with five rebounds and an assist. Kalkbrenner put up 10 points (5-6 FG) and grabbed 11 boards, five on the offensive end.

So, both teams are coming into Saturday night with young talent looking to build on their debuts and their squads hoping to start their campaigns with a 2-0 record. It should be a good one in South Philadelphia.

The Sixers and Hornets tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Game Details​

When: Saturday, October 25, 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow: @LibertyBallers

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/76er...ey-vj-edgecombe-kon-knueppel-ryan-kalkbrenner

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Andre Drummond’s reflective offseason had him ready to save the day

Shortly after the Sixers dispatched the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night, backup center Andre Drummond emerged from the home locker room, wearing a T-shirt and his blue game shorts.

His 6-year-old son Deion trailed behind.

“C’mon, slowpoke,” Drummond said gently.

The two of them would appear to be as close as can be, as indicated by a 2021 video that shows the elder Drummond leaping into a backyard pool to save his son, then 2, after he had tumbled in.

So now they headed off in the direction of the weight room. The elder Drummond had to get his postgame lift in (presumably while Deion repaired to the room set aside by the team for players’ families), and never mind that it was growing late. Or that Andre had played the final 15:48, when the Sixers rallied from 10 down to win, 125-121.

That’s a long stretch for anyone, much less a 32-year-old in his 14th season. Or a guy whose stock in trade has always been rebounding. While with Detroit earlier in his career he led the league in offensive boards six times and in total rebounds four.

That’s a matter of positioning, guile and desire, not to mention strength. So the workouts are non-negotiable.

“It’s been a part of my regimen since early in my career, just lifting after games,” Drummond said after grabbing 13 boards to go with seven points. “It kind of just keeps my body going.”

The moral of the story is that little things add up, that seemingly minor acts might well determine the course of a season. Drummond understands that, and the Sixers can only hope that it is true in a larger sense, too.

They are 2-0, with a one-point victory over a Boston team missing Jayson Tatum and a four-point victory over a Charlotte club not expected to contend for the playoffs. Two games obviously represent a minute sample size, but consider this: They opened last season 0-2, en route to 1-7, 2-12, 3-14 and, by the end of the year, 24-58.

So while 2-0 might not mean everything, it’s entirely possible it means something.

They would like to believe they are better than they were a year ago — deeper, more versatile, better able to withstand the iffy health of Joel Embiid, currently on a minutes restriction, and Paul George, who has yet to make his season debut.

The rotation at present includes four guys who weren’t on the roster at the beginning of last season — starters VJ Edgecombe and Dominick Barlow and subs Quentin Grimes and Jabari Walker. Edgecombe, the prize rookie, has made a particular splash, and Grimes, acquired last February from Dallas, nailed the go-ahead 3-pointer with 15 seconds left Saturday.

Again, seems meaningful, even at this early date.

“And,” Drummond said, “I think we did the work. I think our offseason was really, really intense.”

He was one of the last guys to return to town this summer. And when he showed up for his first run with teammates, he was surprised to learn they were playing “prison ball,” as he called it.

“Like, we were calling no fouls,” he said. “We were just out there, hooping. … So just the energy in the gym was there from the beginning.”

It seems to have remained. Tyrese Maxey poured in 40 points in the opener, while Edgecombe added 34, most by a Sixer his first time out of the chute. And on Saturday, four guys notched 19 or more, topped by Maxey’s 28.

Afterward Maxey made sure to mention to Edgecombe that he had knocked down the clinching free throws with just over a second left, something the rookie had failed to do in the opener. (Wasn’t the first time the vet brought that up. He did so immediately after the Boston game, too.) Maxey also needled backup wing Justin Edwards about a double-dribble call against him Saturday, prompting howls of protest.

Meantime Charlotte coach Charles Lee said Drummond “changed the complexion of the game” with his boardwork. Drummond snagged six rebounds off the offensive glass, seven defensively and was a plus-12. Only Kelly Oubre Jr. (plus-18) was better.

“That’s one of those where you’re thrilled because he played so well and you got the result,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said, “and now you’re wondering why you didn’t use him earlier a little bit, to be honest.”

But with Embiid again limited to 20 minutes – a stint in which he scored 20 points – and the other rotational big, Adem Bona, ineffective in his 12 minutes, Nurse turned to the veteran.

“I just thought it was time to try to find some spark of energy,” he said. “And he certainly provided it.”

Nobody seemed surprised.

“That’s him, bro,” Edwards told a pack of reporters. “That’s Andre Drummond, man. Y’all should know that. It was huge for us.”

“Big minutes, big buckets, big stops,” Edgecombe said. “We all know what he can do.”

But Drummond wasn’t sure he was going to be allowed to do much of anything this season. He appeared in just 40 games in 2024-25, and had to work on his body and his mind over the summer.

Regarding the former, he said, “Changed the diet. Just ran more. Less cheat days.”

And evidence of the latter can be found in the new tattoo on the back of his right hand. “DON’T QUIT,” it says, in all capital letters.

“It’s a reminder to myself: No matter what happens, just never give up and just keep going,” he said, adding that ‘24-25 was “an interesting year.”

“It started making me second-guess – like, ‘Damn man, hopefully this is not it for me,’” he said. “You know, I’ve still got a lot left in the tank. So I felt like this is something to remind myself every time I have those moments of doubt.”

In truth, it’s still not clear what his role might be. He played just three minutes in Boston. But he has pledged to stay ready, and to serve as an example to the younger players. In particular he has counseled Edwards, who shot horribly in the preseason – 3-for-26 from the field, including 2-for-18 from the arc – after showing promise last winter.

Edwards swore his confidence didn’t take a hit, while at the same time admitting, “Not making shots, it’s more so like something where I battle within myself.” Whatever the case, he worked at his craft on the side and was ready when called upon in the second half Saturday, shooting 3-for-5 from downtown and scoring nine points in 12:29.

Might not mean anything. But then again, it could mean something. Certainly the Sixers are more than willing to grasp at such straws, to see what they can make of the smallest of building blocks. And all the better if they can push aside last season’s rubble in the process.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/76er...nets-justin-edwards-vj-edgecombe-tyrese-maxey