One NBA team that is incredibly grateful that the 2024-2025 season is over is the 76ers. The former Eastern Conference powerhouse finished a horrific 24-58, which was not even good enough to compete in the Play-In tournament. Philly is looking to bounce back big next season, but the question is, can they?
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Kendrick Perkins doesn’t think so. The retired NBA star-turned-controversial analyst spoke about the Sixers during a recent edition of NBA on ESPN. KP pointed some fingers at Philly’s President of Operations, Daryl Morey, and the comments he made after the Sixers selected VJ Edgecombe in the draft.
Morey explained a little bit why his team had fallen so far away from the playoff contender they had been for years. But Perkins wasn’t interested in hearing any of that nonsense.
“Nobody wanna hear Daryl Morey singing his sweet nothings,” stated the 40-year-old TV personality. “Nobody wanna hear that. Man have more excuses than a brother going to jail. Every time we sit and listen to this man talk it’s an excuse after an excuse.”
KP wasn’t just critical, he laid out the plan of what he hoped Morey would do over the offseason to get b-ball fans excited about watching the Sixers next year.
“We know what you drafted. We want to see it. I want to see what Joel Embiid looks like,” he said. It’s a legitimate ask of a President, so Perkins was actually correct in his assessment.
“We wanna see what they look like when training camp comes around,” added Perkins regarding Embiid coming back from surgery. “Is he gonna be available? Is he gonna be available at the start of the season? That’s what we wanna see, especially with the East being wide open.”
Again, it’s a good point. The East will look completely different in 2025 due to the injuries sustained by Tyrese Haliburton, Jayson Tatum, and Damian Lillard. Yes, the Celtics and the Pacers could still be contenders, but aside from the Knicks and the Cavaliers, most teams in the East are banged up.
KP then turned it over to Brian Windhorst, who praised the players that the Sixers put out on the court, but pondered why they haven’t been able to get anything done.
“That is a roster that in theory should compete for the Eastern Conference,” started Windy. “The problem is the in theory part. We’re just at the point where we can’t give the benefit of the doubt to the Sixers.”
The Sixers having Maxey, Embiid, George, and now Edgecombe could be a really strong court. The return of Jaren McCain also adds to Philly’s depth. But the problem is PG is past his prime, Joel is coming off a tough surgery, and Maxey can’t do it all himself. Defense was a big struggle for Philly last year as well. And as of now, that problem has not been addressed.
Regardless, they will be one of the many East teams that will be looking to bounce back from a terrible 2024 campaign.
