The annual NBA GM is here for Sixers fans (and every other fanbase) to get mad about!
Nothing signals the return of the NBA season better than the annual GM’s survey. In case this is your first go around, NBA.com sends out a series of questions to every GM about the offseason, the upcoming season, and the future of the league. The obvious caveat is that executives are not allowed to vote for their own teams or players.
It’s a fun way to gauge the general consensus around the league. Given how the Sixers are typically laced with drama, they’ve produced some interesting answers in the past. So, after an entirely good-vibes-filled offseason, let’s see where they ended up this time around.
So, starting with the offseason, it seems the signing of Paul George was a very popular move across the league. The Sixers came in second in the category of which teams made the best overall moves in the summer, getting 33% of the vote. The Oklahoma City Thunder took the top spot.
The Paul George signing specifically easily won the question of “What one acquisition will make the biggest impact,” with 60% of the vote. That signing also came in second for the most surprising move of the offseason. Philly’s signing of Caleb Martin also cracked that category as an honorable mention.
That wasn’t the only time the Martin acquisition appeared in this year’s survey; it was also an honorable mention as the most underrated player acquisition. So it wasn’t just the blockbuster signing that’s got higher ups optimistic.
While the Sixers did place third in which team is most likely to be improved this season, they also tied for fifth in which team’s success is most difficult to predict. That is an improvement though, as Philadelphia walked away with that category last season thanks in large part to the James Harden saga.
The final offseason move that showed up here was drafting Jared McCain with the 16th overall pick. That got an honorable mention for biggest steal of the draft, though most of the first round did as well.
As a team, the Sixers landed right around where you’d expect. They’re ranked as the third best team in the Eastern Conference behind the Celtics and Knicks, with the Celtics receiving 97% of the first-place votes. Nick Nurse tied for fourth in which coach makes the best in-game adjustments, and was an honorable mention for coach with the best offense.
Joel Embiid also landed in familiar territory in the individual player categories. He tied for third with Nikola Jokic and Jayson Tatum for most likely to win the upcoming MVP. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took the top spot and Luka Doncic finished second, so GMs at least think the award will shift away from the Embiid-Jokic battle.
The big fella tied with Giannis for fourth place for which player forces coaches to make the most adjustments, and came in second with 10% of the vote for best center in the league. No prizes for whoever guesses who came in first for that category. Embiid however, once again did not appear at all in any of the defensive categories.
Tyrese Maxey was an honorable mention for player most likely to have a breakout season. While no one would be surprised if he takes another leap this year, it’s still funny to see him there after literally winning the Most Improved Player award last season. Maxey also came in third for which player is fastest with the ball in his hands behind De’Aaron Fox and Ja Morant.
The final Sixer to appear in this survey was Kyle Lowry, believe it or not. He was an honorable mention for which current player will make the best head coach someday. With the way some of his teammates talk about him, it feels like he’s an assistant on Nurse’s bench already.