Preseason NBA Power Rankings: Philadelphia 76ers look like Eastern Elite

With the preseason firmly underway, the Philadelphia 76ers look like an Eastern Conference favorites in our first 2018 NBA Power Rankings of the season.

As the Philadelphia 76ers prepare to close out their extended Chinese road trip, it’s time to take a look at their place in the league and put together a good old fashion NBA preseason power ranking to see just where your favorite team stacks up among basketball’s elite teams.

While the preseason can hardly be used as a barometer to judge a team’s regular season potential, it does serve as a solid scouting tool to see how players have progressed after a summer away from the court.

With current Sixers guards like Markelle Fultz, Landry Shamet, and J.J. Redick all showing off thus far in October, it’s clear Philly’s alleged shooting issues may have been a tad shortsighted, as the team is outscoring opponents with ease game in and game out.

But how does the team stack up among the best team in the Eastern Conference, or in the NBA in general?

With the Eastern Conference now presumably wide open thanks to LeBron James‘ exit to Los Angeles could the Sixers become the new team to beat, or will a team like the Indiana Pacers, the Boston Celtics, or even the new-look Toronto Raptors squelch those hopes once the playoffs roll around.

Let’s evaluate where each team in the NBA stands after about a week of preseason games and see how the Philadelphia 76ers stack up going into the regular season.