2014-15 NBA Season Preview: Philadelphia 76ers

Welcome to theScore's preview of the 2014-15 Philadelphia 76ers. Visit our preseason hub for previews of all 30 NBA teams.

Philadelphia 76ers

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2013-14

The league's worst offense and the league's fourth-worst defense weren't enough to secure the 76ers the league's worst record or, more importantly, the No. 1 pick in a loaded 2014 draft. But they were really bad. Historically bad.

That list shows the worst average point differentials in the NBA since 1946-47, and the 2013-14 76ers rate out as the 13th-worst.

It was an impressive display of bottoming out for a draft pick, and it probably has something to do with the team giving a combined 39 percent of its minutes to Adonis Thomas, Darius Johnson-Odom, James Nunnally, Eric Maynor, Casper Ware, Dewayne Dedmon, Darius Morris, Lorenzo Brown, Byron Mullens, Daniel Orton, John Heymans, Arnett Moultrie, Jarvis Varnado, Brandon Davies, Elliot Williams, Hollis Thompson, and James Anderson, and we only made one of those names up.

It was awful, and it's a minor miracle they won 19 games, especially considering they also tied an NBA record with 26 consecutive losses at one point.

Ugly as things got, Michael Carter-Williams, the No. 11 pick in the 2013 draft, won the Rookie of the Year award after averaging an impressive 16.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 1.9 steals. While not without his flaws, he now looks far more likely to be a core piece than he did on draft night, so there's at least a silver lining to all those wasted games.

They also added some assets by acquiring all of the future second-round picks in existence.  And hey, even though they didn't get the No. 1 pick, they had a pair of lottery selections who won't help the team in 2014-15 so, uh, strap in for another season of this.

Offseason Roundup

The 76ers didn't sign a single free agent to a guaranteed contract and remain well below the league's salary floor. They managed to secure a first-round pick and two depth pieces for Thaddeus Young as part of the Kevin Love-Andrew Wiggins blockbuster, but nothing they acquired will move the needle this season. Let's just move on to the draft section.

Additions

SF Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (trade)
SG Alexey Shved (trade)

Departures

SG James Anderson (waived)
C Byron Mullens (free agency)
SG Adonis Thomas (free agency)
PF Thaddeus Young (trade)

2014 Draft

C Joel Embiid (1st round, 3rd overall)
SF Dario Saric (1st round, 12th overall)
SF K.J. McDaniels (2nd round, 32nd overall)
SF Jerami Grant (2nd round, 39th overall)
PG Vasilike Micic (2nd round, 52nd overall)
SF Jordan McRae (2nd round, 58th overall)

It was a busy night for general manager Sam Hinkie and company on June 26, as the Sixers would make six draft selections and a pair of draft-night trades.

The fruit of a tanked season was the No.3  pick, which Philadelphia used to roll the dice on the health of Kansas big man Joel Embiid. Embiid has the highest upside of any player in the entire draft, and may well have gone No. 1 if a broken foot discovered in the pre-draft process hadn't threatened to wipe out his entire rookie season.

The Sixers went for the best talent available, and it's hard to argue with the strategy when you're this early in the rebuild phase, especially considering Embiid has drawn reasonable comparisons to Hakeem Olajuwon. Seriously.

Hinkie then made a bold play at No. 10, selecting Elfrid Payton, even though the team's current point guard is the reigning Rookie of the Year. He then flipped Payton to the Orlando Magic for the No. 12 pick and a 2015 second rounder before selecting talented Croatian forward Dario Saric at No. 12.

Saric won't come to the NBA until 2015-16 at the earliest, but, as with Embiid, the Sixers took the long view in selecting the best overall talent available. Saric is incredibly skilled for a 6-foot-10 wing player and is pretty advanced for a 20-year-old, bringing legitimate cause for excitement.

That's a lot of draft talk already, but the Sixers also landed two players who could help now. K.J. McDaniels may have been the best value pick in the entire draft, and Jerami Grant is a terrific athlete who some (though not us) see as a potential day-one contributor.

They also drafted Jordan McRae and Vasilijie Micic, who, like Saric, will spend the year overseas.

Starting 5

• PG Michael Carter-Williams
• SG Tony Wroten
• SF Hollis Thompson
• PF Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
• C Nerlens Noel

Breakout Player: Nerlens Noel

When the 76ers selected the 6-foot-11 Noel out of Kentucky with the No. 6 pick in 2013, which had been acquired from New Orleans in a trade for Jrue Holiday, they seemed to care little that Noel had torn his ACL that February. Like with Embiid, talent ruled out, and patience was preached.

Noel ended up sitting out his entire rookie season (even if he may not have needed to), and so calling him a breakout player is a bit of a cheat. But look at this roster! What's more, Noel will be the primary focus of the entire fanbase this year, a reminder of the rewards for having down years and a promise of things to come.

And rest assured, Noel should be exciting. He's long, he's athletic, he has tremendous upside on both ends, and he impressed a good deal at Summer League.

Some may forget that Noel's even set to debut this year, and there will be some bumps in the developmental road, but he's the primary cause for excitement in Philadelphia and the only player on the roster who has appreciable upside and isn't already the reigning Rookie of the Year.

Season Expectations

Let's just put this out there: there's a good reason the 76ers are reportedly against the NBA reforming the draft lottery before the 2015 draft. They plan to be very bad once again this season, with the loss of Thad Young, Evan Turner, and Spencer Hawes balancing out development from Carter-Williams, the presence of Noel, and anything they get from Embiid late in the year or from the cast of second-rounders and undrafted fliers.

That can be frustrating for fans, and some will surely lament the Embiid and Saric selections during a difficult season, but the idea the new management regime has preached is a total rebuild. Carter-Williams and Noel will get all the development time they can handle, and the Sixers will secure another high pick (plus another top-10 protected first from Miami and three second round picks to go along with their own).

Maybe in 2015-16 we're writing about Carter-Williams, McDaniels, Saric, Noel, Embiid, and a pair of exciting picks from the 2015 draft making the 76ers your League Pass team of the year.

1 to Follow on Social Media

The best social media presence for the 76ers isn't actually on the roster anymore. Still, we'd be remiss if we didn't suggest you follow Pierre Jackson, who was recently waived due to an Achilles injury that should keep him out all season.

Jackson is sure to bring you plenty of entertainment on Twitter and Instagram and update you on his recovery status regularly. There may not be a player with better hashtag usage in all of professional sports. To wit:

#BRAAAAA #LEAGUER #imshortashell #tryandguardmethough #THISISHAPPENING! #702 #BIGsummer! #76ers #THEYSLEEP