I’m gonna go way out on a limb and predict that one of the four teams that played last night will win the NBA championship.

Alright!

Now that we’ve got that squared away, let’s talk about your team, your town, your playoff-bound Philadelphia 76ers. I went on the record Wednesday with this prediction:

41-41, 8th seed in the Eastern Conference

That’s assuming Joel Embiid can play somewhere between 50 and 60 games and isn’t hampered by his “fucking bullshit” minutes restriction.

Whether you agreed with The Process or not, I think everyone understands that this team still has a long way to go. Ben Simmons is a rookie. Markelle Fultz is a rookie. Embiid might as well be a rookie. But one facet of The Process that falls by the wayside is the idea that your core talent is being brought along at the same time. Sam Hinkie was patient enough to move on from guys like Michael Carter-Williams because he thought he could do better. He thought he could assemble a trio that would contend for a title and not just get the team into the postseason.

In that regard, The Process is over. Any half-hearted extension of the concept cheapens the philosophy and makes people forget why it was even executed in the first place. It’s like a band that releases a bunch of great albums then drops a disc like “St. Anger.”

This year, returning to the playoffs would be a big success for a team that has won 19, 18, 10, and 28 games in the last four years. Even cresting 30 wins is a step forward. You’ve been loyal enough to sit through four years of tanking, so suddenly putting the cart before the horse seems hypocritical for a fan base that has tolerated (and even invited) a half-decade of abeyance.

Here’s how I have it going down in the Eastern Conference:

  1. Cleveland
  2. Boston
  3. Washington
  4. Toronto
  5. Milwaukee
  6. Miami
  7. Charlotte
  8. Philadelphia
  9. Detroit
  10. Orlando
  11. Indiana
  12. Atlanta
  13. New York
  14. Brooklyn
  15. Chicago

Playoffs: Cavaliers 4, Sixers 1

Hell of an opportunity to taste the postseason and steal a home win against the Cavs. 2018 expectations become sky high as the Eagles come off an NFC title game loss and the young Sixers sniff meaningful basketball for the first time in the post-Process era. The Flyers are skating like the ’85 Oilers and Mike Trout is finalizing details on his first Phillies contract.

There are a lot of good things to look forward to in Philly sports, so let’s temper immediate expectations and just enjoy the ride.

What do we need to see from each player?

For me, team success is 35+ wins and/or a playoff berth.

Individually, here’s what I got:

Markelle Fultz – learn to play with Ben Simmons, let the shoulder heal, leave the shot alone

I think it’s key that Ben Simmons is going to be a spotlighted Rookie of the Year candidate. This is underrated, because it takes pressure off of Markelle Fultz to perform right off the bat and allows him to sort of fly under the radar as he gets back to fitness and form.

When’s the last time a number-one overall pick had this luxury? The fact that you have two first-overall picks debuting at the same time is incredibly unique and will be a boon for Fultz’s development. He shot the ball well enough in college that he didn’t require any mechanical tweaks, so I think this is just a case of fixing something that wasn’t broken.

Ben Simmons – learn to play with Markelle Fultz, build on ability to move without the ball, stay mentally focused on defense, finish at the rim

I think the thing with Fultz and Simmons right now is that there’s a bit of overlap, not necessarily in their skill sets, but in their strengths. Both look better with the ball in their hands. Both excel at driving to the rim and kicking it out to open shooters.

Neither looks entirely comfortable off the ball, nor are they knock-down shooters right now. That’ll improve with time. Even with Fultz beginning the season with the second unit, there will still be times where they share the court and become more comfortable with each other.

For Simmons, I think his finishing at the rim is going to be a “big fucking deal,” as Joe Biden once said. He can easily get there, and he’s going to draw fouls, but the and-1 potential, considering his size and skill, is going to astronomical this year.

Joel Embiidstay healthy, stay focused, keep forcing the refs’ whistles, improve on defensive rebounding

There’s not much to say beyond the obvious. One thing I don’t think we talk enough about is the fact that Joel’s small sample size of games means that opposing teams haven’t seen much of him at all. We can say that he’s “unguardable,” but teams will learn how to play against him with more reps and more film. Part of the reason he hit the ground running last year is because opponents had no idea what to expect.

Defensively, he does so many things well, but obviously can’t slide to keep up with smaller guards. You saw D’Angelo Russell hit that floater over him in the preseason game. He can probably be a bit better in defensive rebounding, but sometimes shot blockers aren’t in the best position to grab boards, so that’s natural.

Another storyline is how he’s officiated and whether or not he can continue to get the calls we saw in the Miami game.

Robert Covington – more consistency as a shooter

RoCo is going to get open looks this season because of the gravity drawn by Simmons and Fultz as they attack the rim.

He shot 33% from three-point range last season, which was below the league average of 35.7%, but he improved to 36.5% when the calendar flipped to 2017 after pushing through a rough start. His shots aren’t going to be as contested this year and there’s no reason why he can’t reach 37 or 38% from deep, which would put him right at the edge of the NBA’s top 50. He’s not going to be sharing the court with non-shooters like Sergio Rodriguez this year.

Covington’s perimeter defense is going to be crucial in matchups against the likes of Washington, Boston, and Toronto.

JJ Redick keep hitting from three, provide early body of work with next year in mind

It’s mostly just determining whether he’s a fit here and worthy of a long-term contract. He also has to think about whether he wants to stick around. I think if you weather the early storm, make it through the rough opening schedule, then pull it back to .500, that assuages any concerns he might have about Philly not being in his future.

Dario Saric – settle into a role?, move without the ball

First off the bench this season.

I’m interested to see how he does in year number two with a better understanding of the American game.

His utility is useful, but I don’t want that to come at the expense of finding his best role on the floor. Using him as a stretch-five, for example, is intriguing, but does that maximize his potential?

We’ll see what happens.

Jerryd Bayless – be the veteran

Talk, point, set assignments. Help these young guys figure it out and lead by example. They’re gonna need it.

Jahlil Okafor – ???

I think his fourth-year rookie option gets declined. With Amir Johnson working with the second team and Richaun Holmes coming back from injury, I just don’t see a role for Okafor, especially because he looks the same defensively as he did last year. The awareness and urgency just never seems to be there.

I love Jah’s offensive skill-set, but he’s operating in a different epoch than the rest of the NBA.

Justin Anderson, Nik Stauskas, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot – show us something

I think you just want one of these guys to step up and claim a second unit role. For me, TLC has the most upside.

T.J. McConnell – keep bringing the intensity, stay under control

Nice to see someone play with heart and hustle in 2017, he just has to keep himself grounded while doing it.

Amir Johnson, Richaun Holmes – hold down the fort

There’s a drop-off when Embiid leaves the court, obviously.

With Joel on a minutes restriction, Johnson is going have a big role in the early part of the schedule, and I wonder if Brett Brown goes to Saric at the five before bringing in Okafor. The Holmes injury had more of a domino effect than I originally thought.

Brett Brown: become a 4th quarter coach, find roles for interchangeable parts

One of the issues with the past four years is that Brown wasn’t in a lot of situations where his team was in close, 4th quarter games. What kind of plays can he draw up? Who takes the last shot? These are still relatively new concepts.

I don’t put too much stock into the “Bryan Colangelo didn’t hire Brett Brown” narrative (when considering his job security), but it’s obvious that the evolution of the coaching staff needs to be somewhat congruous with player development.

Another thing is that the unique skill-sets of guys like Simmons and Embiid mean that they can be utilized in a variety of ways. Remember that preseason play where Embiid fed Simmons down low for a dunk? That’s a 7’2″ center dishing it to a 6’11” “point guard” in the low post. That’s fun to watch, but it’s not conventional, and Brown is going to have figure out if we’re doing this with some sort of traditional structure or allowing these intriguing athletes to develop their own new-age and exclusive style.

Strengths – passing, defense, transition offense

With Ben Simmons slinging it all over the place and creating gravity that would make Isaac Newton blush, the Sixers are going to be nasty when playing with pace. They’ll move the ball and space the court much, much better in 2017.

Defensively, Covington, Bayless, and Redick will allow Simmons and Fultz to not have to deal with All-Star Eastern Conference point guards on a nightly basis. If Embiid stays healthy, you’ve probably got the league’s best rim protector, or one of them.

Weaknesses – turnovers, inexperience, finishing around the rim, free-throws?

Adventurous transition offense also opens the door to wayward passes and turnovers. You’re gonna see some balls fly into the stands.

And if Simmons and Fultz decide to take it to the rim themselves, can they finish there? If they get to the line, are they hitting their foul shots? I don’t know.

The inexperience is what it is. You get John Wall, Kyrie Irving, and Kyle Lowry in your first three NBA games.

Welcome!

Staff picks:

Write these down, then come back and rip us on Twitter in a few months:

Kyle Scott: The Sixers have the potential to be GOOD when Embiid is healthy and if Fultz is a solid contributor. But there are also a lot of new faces, some with no NBA experience, and there are going to be some rough spots. Overall, figuring a mostly healthy Embiid and Fultz not needing surgery on his shoulder, the Sixers are pretty good and get into the playoffs with 42 wins.

Phil Keidel: Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe. 40-42.

Russell Joy: At the end of the season, with the Sixers 5th in the East at 46-36, Joel stands over the broken bodies of those who stood in his way. He pours out two Shirley Temples, smashes them together, throws them back and states to the masses, “Embiid 3:16 says I just whooped your ass.” Or should that be Process 3:16… Or Hinkie 3:16?

Coggin: What is best in life? To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women.” 76ers 42-40.

Bob Wankel: So what if Markelle Fultz looks broken? Embiid stays relatively healthy, Simmons is ROY, and the Sixers go 43-39. They get the 7th seed and then they get wiped away by the Celtics in the first round. Basketball in Philly is back, BABY!

Chris Jastrzembski: Joel’s minutes go up and he stays healthy. Markelle’s shot is still meh, but Ben wins Rookie of the Year. Sixers go 42-40 and get the 7th seed.

Tyler Trumbauer: Embiid is limited all year, no back-to-backs, but team has enough talent to make the playoffs. I say 7th seed, 44-38.

Investor Mike: Reverse psychology absolutely in play here, but the Sixers miss the 8th seed by way of a heartbreaking home loss to the Bucks on fan appreciation night. 40-42

Investor Jeff: Embiid plays 61 games, Sixers 36-25 when he plays. 7-14 when he sits. 43 wins, good for the 6th seed where they give Washington all they can handle in the first round before losing in 7.

 

That’s about it. Whatever happens this season, it won’t be boring. Let’s roll the damn ball out.

Take it away Lars Ulrich: