By the Numbers: $213.2 Million, a -0.1 Net Rating, and One…

By the 76ers Nightly Desk · Monday, October 12

Philadelphia's record is 0-0, but the numbers already on the board — payroll, net rating, games played — tell you more than three preseason scores. Here's what they actually prove, and what they don't.

76ers Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

Why does $213.2 million actually matter before a real game tips off?

Philadelphia is carrying $213.2 million in payroll, above the first apron and north of the $200.4 million luxury tax line. That number caps roster flexibility all year — no simple trade exception, no easy buyout replacement. Embiid's $58.1 million and Brown's $57.1 million alone eat more than a quarter of the cap. Spending big isn't the question; staying flexible while spending big is.

What does 45-37 with a -0.1 net rating actually say about last season?

Last season Philadelphia finished 45-37, with the offense ranked 16th, the defense 16th, and the net rating at -0.1, 18th among 30 teams. That's not a tanking number and it's not a contender number — it's the record that got Daryl Morey fired in May. Bob Myers inherited a team that was exactly as average as its underlying numbers said.

Can Embiid and Maxey actually stay on the floor at the same time?

Maxey played 70 games last season at 28.3 points and 36.7 percent from three. Embiid played 38 — exactly half a season — at 26.9 points. Those two availability numbers are the real ceiling for this group, not talent. Add James at 41 and Brown logging 71 games, and the math on four stars sharing a schedule gets uglier, not easier.

How worried should you be about the day-to-day list this week?

Hukporti is Out with a torn right Achilles and isn't expected back until October 2027 — that's a lost season, not a tag. Everyone else on the list — Embiid, Caldwell-Pope, Simons, Bona, Barlow, Fall, James among them — carries a Day-To-Day label pointing to October 16. Different injury, same number, same expected return. One of those situations is serious. Eight of them are preseason caution.

Does a 1-2 preseason split mean anything before October 20?

Philadelphia opened by beating the Knicks 120-97, then lost 108-114 at Brooklyn and 106-144 at Boston. That record and those scores stay preseason noise — the real record opens 0-0 at the Knicks on October 20. A split exhibition slate with half the roster resting tells you about conditioning, not about what this team is in November.

The verdictThe number worth watching isn't the preseason record, it's the Achilles tag on Hukporti next to the apron number limiting what Myers can do about it.

Is Philadelphia over the salary cap?

Yes — the Sixers are carrying $213.2 million, above both the first apron and the $200.4 million luxury tax line.

How long is Hukporti expected to be out?

His right Achilles injury has him out with an expected return around October 2027, which points to the whole season.