If it’s not foul baiting, or some reckless plays, the first thing that comes to the mind of many basketball fans when they hear the name Joel Embiid: never has made a conference finals. This isn’t unique to Embiid. It’s synonymous with any perceived all-time great who has never won anything of real substance. 

I’ve long written about circumstances and reasons (nay, excuses) that have prevented legitimate success from happening, but at this point it really doesn’t matter. And it’s also not worth replaying the past. The positive is, unlike retired Hall of Famers with careers that continue to be dissected for what they couldn’t accomplish, Embiid has time. 

This team makes sense, and there are still moves that could be made. For a fraction of the fan base, the regular season doesn’t matter. It’s only about what happens in those three months that follow March. Obviously I know they will be judged based on how they finish the season, but building towards that moment matters a great deal. As Miley Cyrus beautifully sang, “it’s the climb.” So, I care about what transpires from now until then.

During training camp Nick Nurse and the coaching staff stressed “the ball wins” as the mantra. The focus will be to take care of the ball in the traditional sense such as not passing the ball to the other team, but more pointedly for the 76ers—limit the opposing team’s second and third chances by rebounding the ball, something that has plagued them in the past. The projected starting lineup is versatile with more size and defensive potential than last year with Caleb Martin and Paul George joining Kelly Oubre on the wing. And as much as a liability Tyrese Maxey appears to be on that end, there’s no doubt he’ll at least bring effort. 

It is hard to build depth when three players are making the maximum amount they can earn. It’s probably one of the reasons why Daryl Morey was hesitant to extend James Harden to that type of contract. George most likely won’t be worth the maximum, maybe even as early as the third year of the contract, but you make that signing every time because he’s a seamless fit sandwiched between Embiid and Maxey. Plus Embiid is 30, there is no waiting around. To retain Oubre and bring in Martin were essential to creating an awesome starting five, but questions persist–secondary playmakers and rebounding. The bench has dependable players like Andre Drummond, who has easily been Embiid’s best understudy; Kyle Lowry, who won’t be needed as much as last season; and Eric Gordon, who Philadelphia hopes still has some left. Reggie Jackson should help, too, but he’s probably not seen as someone who would be included in a playoff rotation. Then you have the wild cards. Guerschon Yabusele is the most intriguing option after his successful Olympic showing. The big question will be if his three-point shot can translate to the deeper NBA line, but he’ll have every opportunity to make his imprint, and he’s played backup center during the preseason, which adds a fun element. Ricky Council IV had his moments during his rookie season that earned him a real contract, namely the Washington and San Antonio games. KJ Martin is without a doubt the most likely 76er to be traded this year since Morey gave him a nice salary bump for the sole purpose to be used to match a salary in a trade, but he’ll get some run. 

When the Sixers drafted Jared McCain, there was plenty of disappointment. Not necessarily about the player, but more because many anticipated that first round pick would be included in a trade for a more ready-now player and the real concern about McCain’s fit alongside Maxey. If McCain becomes a great player, how does he pair with Maxey considering their heights? There is no guarantee McCain will be a Sixer past this year’s deadline with title aspirations in the present, but that’s for the future to work itself out. It’s uncertain how much time McCain will actually play, but he’s a capable shooter, maybe the best one from his draft class, and that’s exciting enough. Embiid raved about McCain during the training camp, which could mean nothing, but it’s at least something. Adem Bona, Philadelphia’s second round pick in June, will be a true developmental big, especially with Nurse opting for smaller lineups in non Embiid/Drummond minutes.  

The active roster sits at 14 with a possibility to add one more, but Morey has said he plans to keep the roster spot open to begin the season. It’s a roster fully capable of winning 50+ games, regardless of how many games George and Embiid play.

I began writing this the week training camp began, but life got in the way, and now the season is almost here. We’ve already witnessed the first health scare when George planted his foot in the lane against the Hawks. The diagnosis was a bone bruise in his knee, and the odds of him playing opening night probably aren’t great. 

But, it’s all about the long-view. Even if it would be a real bummer for George to miss the home opener.

It’s impossible to mention the Sixers without relegating the past. And that’s a hard pill to swallow. To change how people perceive something takes time and action. An achievement needs to take place.

This season, I won’t write about what happened before. All of that bullshit. It’s irrelevant. The thing about sports is, there’s always this year. (And I can’t mention that specific fact without flowers for Hanif Abdurraqib’s beautiful book There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension that I recently read that delves into his life and the relationship basketball has played in it. The moving narrative captures Cleveland winning the 2016 Finals following some good, some bad, and some ugly basketball during the Cavaliers’ history, but it was so much more than that as he talks about growing up in Ohio and the specific role people and the places we know play in our lives. It’s 100 percent worth a read.)

So nothing before this moment matters. The failures. Missed shots. Injuries. Poor trades. Terrible passes. Untimely effort. Lose balls that went the other way. Bad rotations. They will not matter. 

It’s a new season. And anything can happen.