Without trying to sound overly cliché, defense wins championships -- an element of the game that the Philadelphia 76ers greatly struggled with throughout their 2025-26 campaign. This was just one of an endless list of issues that caused the Sixers' season to implode spectacularly, yet the front office has chosen not to address it.
Philadelphia has the luxury of boasting one of the greatest big men ever to grace a basketball court in Joel Embiid. However, for all the dominating offensive abilities that the 2023 Most Valuable Player possesses, his defensive prowess does not reach the same elite levels.