Joel Embiid

Only one player outscored Joel Embiid last year and chances are good that Nikola Jokic will be off the board before any fantasy manager has to make this choice. The 29-year-old averaged 33.1 ppg and added 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists. He has a solid claim to being the second most valuable fantasy player over Giannis Antetokuonmpo due to his defensive contributions. Embiid gets a small nick for James Harden's trade demands leaving question marks around who his supporting cast may be heading into the season.

76ers hire Nick Nurse as head coach

The 76ers have ended their search for a head coach by hiring former Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse.

Fantasy Impact

Under Nurse, Toronto was always seen as a team you couldn’t count out till it was all said and done. If James Harden leaves, Philadelphia might have to become the next scrappy Nurse team, although having the 2022-23 NBA MVP could disqualify them from being labeled “scrappy”. Embiid offers a player you can build a championship roster around, which Nurse had experience doing with Kawhi Leonard in 2019 when Toronto beat the Warriors in the Finals. Under Nurse their defense should improve, but they need to find at least a second star behind Embiid to really get the ball rolling. Philly will be an interesting team to watch this off-season.