The Philadelphia 76ers are a team that can make a quick jump in the Eastern Conference next year, as they have many players that are on the verge of NBA stardom. That's if they can stay healthy throughout the summer. The Sixers have been bitten by the injury bug on many occasions, losing players for the entire season before the season even started. It looks like the Sixers front office has realized this bad trend and are doing everything in their power to keep their future bright and healthy. Their top players Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons won't be participating in the NBA Summer League, as they both are coming off season-ending injuries.
Philly would rather have them ready to dominate the regular season, not the summer season.
Health is paramount
Sixers president Bryan Colangelo announced that Simmons and Embiid won't participate in any summer league play on Monday. This summer he would rather have both players focus on their health than trying to rush back to the court and risk further injury. Simmons and Embiid are the cornerstone players that the Sixers will rely on in order to bring success to the franchise so they need them to be 100 percent this season. Simmons didn't play at all last season as a broken foot suffered in training camp kept him sidelined for the entire 2016-17 season. Embiid played in 31 games last season and performed extremely well, but a torn meniscus had him sidelined for the remainder of the season as well.
The Sixers' analytics approach to running a basketball team probably told them it was best to sit out their key players. Maybe it wasn't much analytics as it was common sense as foot and knee injuries should have a cautious approach to them. Whatever the Sixers did to come up with this decision, they made the best option as their future is looking bright if these star players can stay on the floor.
It's gonna be sunny in Philly
With both Embiid and Simmons sitting out the summer leagues to focus on their health, the fans in Philly can expect the days to get a lot sunnier and a lot less cloudy. The Sixers have been stuck at the bottom of the NBA for a while after Jrue Holiday and Andre Iguodala were sent away. The Sixers set a losing streak record a few years back and besides stocking up on draft picks, there really hasn't been too much to cheer about.
But with Joel Embiid showing promise in his 31 games last year and Ben Simmons showing his possible greatness in college, the Sixers are on the verge of being a good team in a rather weak Eastern Conference. The Sixers hold the third pick in this year's draft which allows them to draft even more possible star talent. The clouds in Philly seem to be passing and the Sixers are looking to shine with their new pieces all on the floor together.
