76ers embrace lack of distractions, lofty expectations heading into 2024-25 season

CAMDEN -- Recent media days for the Philadelphia 76ers have been marred by drama and uncertainty. In 2021, Ben Simmons' status with the team was the major talking point, as the three-time All-Star skipped media day in its entirety as he sought a trade.

A similar situation played out in 2023, when future Hall-of-Famer James Harden skipped media day after labeling Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey as a liar over the offseason and vowing to never play for him again.

The Sixers have become accustomed to dealing with drama in the process, even though starting a season with such lingering distractions is far from ideal. This year though, things are different. There are no disgruntled star players. No guys putting their own ego above the team. Just a group of guys hungry for the opportunity in front of them.

It's a refreshing way to start the season, and that isn't lost on the players, especially star center Joel Embiid, who has endured all the franchise's ups-and-downs over the past decade.

"It’s extremely important to go into camp without any negativity or outside noise," Embiid said at this year's media day. "Obviously the last few years we’ve had a lot of [that]. I think with the team that we’ve built this year … I think we have a pretty good opportunity to be consistent.

"We have a lot of new guys, so we got to get everybody on the same page," he added. "It’s going to take time. There might be growing pains, but I think we got guys that just fit on and off the court and that’s what you need when it comes to team building and culture."

Sure, the Sixers will still face challenges. Every team does, but as Morey put it, the challenges Philadelphia faces heading into the '24-25 campaign are more "traditional" compared to some of the team's previous issues.

"This year, what I like is that the challenges are more traditional," he said. "How does the coaching staff figure out how best to use the players? Those are the kind of challenges that are more fun to work on."

From an organizational perspective, it is absolutely beneficial to be able to go into a season knowing exactly who will be on the roster and not having to juggle searching out a blockbuster deal with getting a strong start.

But while there is a lack of distractions for the Sixers, there are also some lofty expectations facing the team following the offseason addition of Paul George. In addition to signing George to a four-year, max deal, the Sixers also locked up Embiid and Tyrese Maxey with massive contract extensions and brought in a bunch of veteran players. Whatever the definition of being "all in" is, that's what the Sixers are.

There was a common theme among the veterans who signed (or re-signed) with the Sixers over the summer.

There are clear-cut championship expectations for the Sixers -- from the fans, and clearly from the players themselves. Anything short of a conference finals appearance, at the very least, would be considered a major disappointment -- the latest in a long line for the team in recent years.

At least the players aren't backing away from the high hopes looming over the team. Hopefully they'll be able to back it up on the court, too.

Follow Michael Kaskey-Blomain on X @therealmikekb.