ESPN Ranks 76ers Outside of Top 5 in Early Power Rankings

The Philadelphia 76ers currently aren't viewed as a top-five squad, according to the team over at ESPN.

Following the 2021 NBA Draft and the opening of free agency, ESPN put together an early power rankings list based on the moves that teams made this offseason.

For the most part, the Sixers made minor tweaks. Outside of acquiring an additional second-round pick on the day of the draft, the Sixers haven't made any trades. And when it came to signings, they inked a couple of new veterans, none of which are expected to crack the starting lineup.

The Sixers look quite similar to last year's roster for now as they possess the same starting lineup of Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, Danny Green, Seth Curry, and the talk of the entire offseason, Ben Simmons.

Considering that squad clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference, you would think that the 76ers squad would land a spot in the top five of early power rankings. While it's close, the Sixers are just outside of that.

"There is only one thing anyone is talking about when it comes to the 76ers: What's going to happen with Ben Simmons? Philly president of basketball operations Daryl Morey has shown throughout his career that he isn't going to trade a player for less than what he thinks he is worth, and he isn't going to make a trade for the sake of making one. So as long as a certain All-NBA point guard in Portland remains off the market, the expectation here is that Simmons will remain in Philadelphia -- which could make for plenty of awkwardness when training camp opens next month" - Tim Bontemps

ESPN's Tim Bontemps explained that as long as the Sixers have no shot at Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, Ben Simmons will remain in a 76ers uniform.

Again, despite a second-round collapse against the Atlanta Hawks, the Sixers were still a solid team last season that had tons of success. Whether they run it back with or without Simmons, they'll garner a spot in the playoffs next year.

But if they don't make further changes that can help them in the postseason, the Sixers will likely be stuck in the same position of being just playoff contenders and not championship contenders.

This offseason, the Eastern Conference got even better as a whole -- especially up top. Ahead of the Sixers are the Brooklyn Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks, who rank in the top two spots with the Miami Heat and the Atlanta Hawks one and two spots right behind the Sixers.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.