Welcome to the inaugural edition of eDraft’s NBA Season Preview. We start with the Atlantic Division, the toughest in the East, covering everyone from the pretenders to the contenders. We begin our preview with the Philadelphia 76ers, a team with a new marquee center and high expectations. 

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

Key additions: Andrew Bynum (C), Jason Richardson (G), Nick Young (G),
Royal Ivey (G), Dorell Wright (F), Arnett Moultrie (27th pick), Maalik Wayns (G), Kwame Brown (F/C)

The Sixers are dead! Long live the Sixers!

Philly fans have a lot to look forward to this year, but will first have to familiarize themselves with the largely remade roster. With the jettisoning of Andre Iguodala, Elton Brand, and Lou Williams, and the addition of Andrew Bynum, the Sixers look a bit more like a traditional NBA squad and a little less like the fun-to-watch, share-the-rock college team they often resembled last year.

This is a positive thing. The biggest problem the Sixers faced last season was their lack of ability to put the ball in the hands of a proven scorer down the stretch. Iguodala is a fine defender and puts up all around solid stats (12 PPG-5.5 APG-6.1 RPG-1.7 SPG),  but he hasn’t proven capable over his career of being The Man.

At 7’0 and 285 pounds, Bynum is very much The Man and currently holds the title of the best center in the East before a single game has been played. He will see the majority of the touches in the new offense, and his place in the pivot will change the roles of all of his teammates substantially. Evan Turner, the former number #two draft pick, will no longer be awkwardly sharing court space with Williams and Iguodala and should have a career year.

Point Guard Jrue Holiday, the team’s leading scorer last season (13.5 PPG), should see even more playing time this year but may find his scoring stifled a bit with the team’s shift to a slower post-oriented game. Two new members of the squad who should benefit greatly from this system are Jason Richardson and Nick Young, who can both light it up from downtown (both have career averages of 37 3P%) and should see plenty of open shots with defences collapsing on Bynum. The Sixers are currently the team to beat in the Atlantic Division because they got themselves a star. It was a long time coming.

Reason for optimism: At 24 years old, Bynum is still very young.

Reason for despair: Andrew Bynum has major trouble staying healthy for a whole season and his knees are very old.

Projected record: 52-30