The Sixers 2024-2025 season hasn’t gone the way anyone expected so far. They are currently 7-15 and in 12th place in the NBA Eastern Conference. However, the Sixers have won four of their last five games. Joel Embiid just returned from a seven-game absence due to swelling in his surgically repaired left knee, and he looked like his typical All-Star self – perhaps for the first time this season. Some would argue that Embiid looked as spry as he has in years, inspiring confidence that the big man’s season may not be a lost cause.

The Sixers are just 1.5 games behind 10th place, the final qualifying spot for the NBA’s play-in tournament. They are just two games out of the eighth and final playoff spot and just five games behind the Milwaukee Bucks for sixth place and the final guaranteed spot to avoid the play-in. Despite the slow start to this season, the Sixers are far from doomed. The Sixers’ upcoming schedule is a great opportunity to gain further ground as the conference progresses:

December 13 vs. Pacers (10-15)

December 16 @ Hornets (7-17)

December 20 vs. Hornets (7-17)

December 21st @ Cavs (21-4)

December 23rd vs Spurs (12-12)

With the Sixers’ Big 3 of Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey all seemingly back on the roster – barring any further setbacks – the Sixers are expected to be favored in four of their next five games before the Christmas Day clash with their bitter rivals and the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics.

The Sixers are 5-4 in games in which Paul George alone has played more than 25 minutes and have a defensive rating of 105.3 in those contests, which would rank them second in the entire NBA. The Sixers were so effective because George was on the field on defense – even though Embiid and his rim protection and general defensive skills were missing in all but one game, the last against the Chicago Bulls, in which the Sixers won by 108 points. 100 – shows how influential George is to this Sixers team just by his presence on the floor.

Maxey also had one of his best performances of the season on Sunday when he recorded his first career triple-double by scoring 25 points, adding 14 assists and grabbing 11 rebounds. The Sixers’ flow and procedures are much better when they have their three stars on the court together. According to NBA.com, the Sixers rank 27th in the NBA in offense, which has obviously been their biggest problem all season. They struggled to find consistent sources of offense and opportunities to score easy baskets with their stars missing so much time.

What felt at times like a lost season for the Sixers — and even left fans pondering whether the best course of action would be to play through the season and play for a top draft pick in the expansive 2025 NBA Draft — finally has merit to optimism. There is hope that this team, assembled last offseason with the expectation of a strong playoff run, can make these things happen. I also suspect that Daryl Morey has a few tricks up his sleeve as the NBA trade deadline approaches by the day.

Sixers fans – are we back?