The 2022/23 NBA season tipped-off last week and one of the pre-season favorites to go all the way and win this year’s championship was the Philadelphia 76ers.
Joel Embiid was expected to enter into a ‘revenge season’ and make his case for MVP unanimous after narrowly losing out two years in a row to fellow center Nikola Jokić.
Philly was also bringing back former-MVP James Harden, and the talented young guard Tyrese Maxey, along with a bundle of impressive offseason recruitements to make their case for a first NBA title since 1983.
But four games in and Philadelphia have recorded just one win, which had FanDuel TV’s ‘Run It Back’ hosts contemplating concern over the 76ers start to the season.
Michelle Beadle, Eddie Gonzalez and Shams Charania are joined by former NBA forward Evan Turner to discuss the 76ers 1-3 start to the season and whether they are concerned about their superstar Embiid’s return to the league.
Gonzalez is quick to highlight the 76ers lost their first two games to two of the Eastern conference’s best teams; the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks, but he is worried about their defense and how that can hold up despite predicting them “win games all season”.
Charania, NBA Inside Reporter for The Athletic, ponders the dynamic between stars Embiid and Harden who both like to have the ball in their hands and how the “hierachy” plays out during the season.
But Turner responded with “the hierarchy needs to show up” in order for the 76ers to make a push for the championship, as Philly lack strong bench and Turner calls on Embiid and Harden to become more accountable when mistakes are made.
FanDuel sportsbook currently has the Philadelphia 76ers +1200 to outright win the NBA championship, ranking them 7th in the sportsbook favorites to win the title behind teams such as the Golden State Warriors, Brooklyn Nets, and Los Angeles Clippers.
