A new era begins for the Philadelphia 76ers. Coach Brett Brown was fired after seven full seasons. Brown led the 76ers to a pair of second-round playoff appearances. A combination of injuries and coaching shelf life was too much to overcome. Brown did lead the Sixers to another playoff berth last summer. But they were swept in the first round to end his coaching tenure. It’s been 37 years in the wilderness for Philadelphia since their last NBA title. For a proud legacy franchise that is quite an NBA betting dry spell. Namely, Doc Rivers arrives as a new coach.
2020-21 Philadelphia 76ers
| Odds | |
|---|---|
| NBA Championship | +2500 |
| Eastern Conference | +900 |
2020-21 Philadelphia 76ers SBG Odds Overview
Naturally, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons attract online betting handle. Sharps may find more value with Philadelphia than squares.
2020-21 Philadelphia 76ers Team Overview
The 2019-20 Philadelphia 76ers finished 43-30 straight up, 31-38-4 against the spread, and 39-33 over the total. Philadelphia finished in third place in the Atlantic Division. And was swept by Boston in the first round of the playoffs. Overall, the 76ers ranked 20th for scoring offense and 6th for points allowed. Joel Embiid was Philadelphia’s leading scorer with 23.5 points per game. Ben Simmons was the top assist man with 8.0 per game. Also, Embiid led in rebounding with 11.7 per game. Simmons and Embiid missed long periods with injuries. Philadelphia was never in sync.
Team president Daryl Morey arrives from Houston. There he was general manager for the past 13 years. Morey was NBA Executive of the Year in 2018. Correlate his association with analytics. This transformed pro basketball with an emphasis on 3-pointers. Morey is often equated with baseball’s Billy Beane for his “Moneyball” style of management.
General manager Elton Brand is a former NBA player. Following his retirement in 2016, he was named player development consultant for the 76ers. By September 2018 he was promoted to general manager.
Doc Rivers is a successful NBA coach. Yet Rivers has his share of detractors for what’s perceived to be underachieving teams. Rivers’ first head coaching gig was in 1999-2000 with the Orlando Magic. He has only missed the playoffs once as a coach. Rivers has 943 career NBA betting wins and a .581-win percentage. He led the Boston Celtics to the 2008 NBA championship.
While with the Clippers, Rivers’ best results were three Western Conference finals appearances. Last year the Clippers finished 49-23 but their playoff failure cost Rivers his job. He was panned for failing to get the most out of his team.
Kentucky guard Tyrese Maxey was the 21st overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft. He was a five-star one and done player for the Wildcats. Maxey made second-team All-SEC and SEC All-Freshman.
Center Joel Embiid was the third overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft. Embiid is a three-time NBA All-Star. Last season Embiid averaged 23 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. Ben Simmons was the first overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft. And he’s been an All-Star the past two seasons. Simmons averaged 16.4 points 7.8 assists per game in 2019-20.
2020-21 Philadelphia 76ers Prognosis
On this occasion the 76ers have credibility. Rivers, Embiid, and Simmons bring potential. Philadelphia could be the dark horse candidate to upend Milwaukee. In the same way, they could bring better value than the Bucks.