Liberty Ballers roundtable: Talking Sixers’ Schedule Part 2

Philadelphia nearly doubled its national TV games this season. What does that say about the state of the team and the early returns on phase II of The Process?

Adio Royster:

• To answer this question, I’ll quote Snoop Dogg from a song called “Vapors” where he says: “Damn, it feels good to see people up on it.” It does. It does feel good that everyone wants to see what we’ve been talking about for years. We’ve known this team has had the potential to be great. Now, everyone wants to see it.

Sean Kennedy:

• It means the rebuilding process is complete: “We’ll all know. We’ll all know.”

Tyler Monahan:

• This many national TV games means the Sixers are now a must-watch team. After years of the NBA trying to destroy the team, it is now capitalizing on the Sixers’ newfound popularity in order to make even more money. While all the national attention is cool, I am going to miss the hometown broadcast crew.

Adam Aaronson:

• It says that the very Process the NBA attempted to tear down and prevent from being completed has now officially yielded one of its go-to, primetime teams, who it will profit off for years to come. I guess Sam Hinkie wasn’t so crazy after all, huh, Adam Silver?

Greg Melo:

• The Process, that had been the NBA’s eyesore for years, has yielded a long-term contender with primetime viability. Clearly, Adam Silver is trying to right a wrong by giving the Sixers so many big games (he’s not and we don’t forgive him).

Caleb Turrentine:

• Anyone and everyone who ever said the Process was not worth it was just so very wrong. This also tells me that I will likely not be buying League Pass again and my wallet is very happy about that.

Roy Burton:

• When a third of your games are on national television, it means that you’ve finally arrived. It wasn’t too long ago that the only “national” TV games [for the Sixers] were on NBA TV. I’m happiest for the non-local Sixers fans who don’t have to shell out money for League Pass anymore...we’ve come a long way, baby.

Tom West:

• So many national TV games speaks volumes about not just the sudden rise of Sixers’ talent into a legitimate 50-plus-win team, but their entertainment value as well. Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid are phenomenally talented and captivating to watch. The intrigue of Markelle Fultz potentially breaking out takes The Process Sixers up another notch.

Kevin Rice:

• It means the Sixers haven’t hired a GM yet because they are working secretly and diligently to rehire Sam Hinkie, who still deserves ample credit for the state that the team is currently in. Personally, I don’t like the national games because I’m partial to Zumoff and Alaa on the call, but hey, national is national!

Hannah Ridden:

• People are hype about the Sixers right now! People love an underdog that does what other people say they can’t. Combine this with the added city pride and national attention from the Eagles winning the Super Bowl and Villanova winning the National Championship, and people are more tuned in to Philly sports than they have been in quite some time.

Give me your Sixers’ record prediction and a short explanation.

AR:

• The over/under win total for the Sixers is 54.5. I think taking the under is the smart play. It won’t be drastically under or anything, but 50-53 wins seems right for this team. Zhaire Smith is out until maybe January, so that drops my expectations a little bit. I’ll be cautious and say 50-32. It’s still top-four in the East. I’ll take that.

SK:

• 54-28. A couple games better than last season feels about right. Despite the Sixers largely striking out over the summer, the team should be improved based upon the continued development from its young core.

TM:

• 52-30. The Sixers continue to impress and the young core continues to develop. I think the main difference this year is going to be the team figuring out how to close games, instead of letting the opponent hang around. I could get used to the playoffs.

AA:

• Right now, I’d say somewhere between 51 and 54 wins. I have high expectations for the young players on this team, especially Joel Embiid, but still feel extremely nervous about this team’s depth. While its first five or six guys are great, the next bunch tell a whole different story. So I think this upcoming season will provide very similar results to last year.

GM:

• It’s really difficult for me to dive all-in on year two of this team. I’m hopeful that Fultz’s shot is back to where it needs to be, but there will still be a period where he’s anchoring the bench while figuring out ways to gel with Simmons. I think the loss of Zhaire Smith will be felt in the early parts of the season. And as much as I love Dario Saric and Robert Covington, both have their cold stretches as shooters that could very much affect a team who needs shooting to maximize its stars. Right now, I’m going 50-32 for the 76ers. More progress with this young core will be made, but regular season wins will be about the same as last year.

CT:

• It’s weird to say less than last season, but you cannot really expect another long winning streak at the end of the season. But then, when I took it game-by-game, I came up with 59 wins. So, that’s fine too, let’s go with 59.

RB:

• 49-33. Simple explanation: The hunter becomes the hunted. Also...I think there will be more of a balance when it comes to wins and losses this year; I don’t see a 36-30 start to the year, nor do I envision another 16-game winning streak either.

TW:

• 53-29. While I do think this team will improve thanks to developments from Embiid and Simmons (and I’m as high on Fultz as anyone), we can’t just expect another 16-game winning streak to close the season, and there are plenty of things that need to click for the Sixers to really up their win total. How well can Fultz actually shoot? Can Embiid stay healthy again? How much of an issue is the team’s limited wing depth, especially with Zhaire out to start the season?

KR:

• 53-29. Think some of those dumb blown leads from last year will balance out with the tanking win streak at the end of last season. I worry a little bit about our depth scoring, as Ersan and Marco each went for like 60 a game off the bench. I’m also dreading that stretch in late January-February.

HR:

• 51-31. The Sixers’ schedule is a little bit more complex than it was last year. I think Embiid will continue to perform very well and I’m eager to see how Fultz’s shot has progressed, but I think the team still needs to find its balance and see how the young additions will mix with the dynamic on the court.