Five key stats to remember as the Sixers enter a season with title hopes

One overarching question throughout next season for the 76ers will be: Is this team playing well enough to win a championship?

As the season progresses and the Sixers figure out what works and what doesn’t for this uber-talented group, a few numbers may indicate whether the Sixers are true contenders or pretenders. Here are a few benchmarks and statistics to keep an eye on heading into a season filled with championship hopes.

The average number of possessions played in the regular season by the starting lineups of the last 10 title winners, according to the statistical website Cleaning the Glass, which filters out garbage time. The 2025 Oklahoma City Thunder, at 668, had the lowest mark on this list because of injuries to center Chet Holmgren that year.

This statistic is important because it displays how many reps it might require for a starting lineup, especially those that are adjusting to playing together, to reach a championship level of play.

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For as much as Joel Embiid may be resting throughout the season in an attempt to preserve him for the postseason, they still need to log playing time throughout the season with all five starters playing in the same games. It’s rare when a team can win a championship with a starter — LeBron James is 41 years old entering his 24th NBA season — missing as much time as Holmgren did that season when he played in only 32 games.

Finding the right balance of playing and resting Embiid will be critical to their title hopes. It’s a formula the Sixers have to get right. If he or another starter misses too much time, the Sixers run the risk of trying to find that chemistry when other teams in the Eastern Conference have already developed it.

The average finish in offensive efficiency for the last 10 championship winning teams in offensive efficiency during the regular season. The lowest-rated title winner in this group was the 2022 Golden State Warriors, who finished 16th in offensive efficiency.

After that, the last four title winners have had top-five offenses. James and the 2020 Los Angeles Lakers were the only other team to finish outside the top 10 in this category and still win the championship. Two of the last 10 champions had the No. 1 offense (2017 Warriors, 2024 Boston Celtics).

The average finish in defensive efficiency for the last 10 championship winning teams in defensive efficiency during the regular season. The 2023 Denver Nuggets were the lowest of the bunch, as they rode the 15th-best defense to the championship in 2023.

That defense improved by 3.3 points per 100 possessions in the playoffs. The New York Knicks won the title last season with the seventh-best defense. Prior to that, the 2024 Celtics had the No. 2 defense while the 2025 Thunder had the No. 1 defense.

The Sixers’ ranking when it came to percentage of transition possessions last season, according to Cleaning the Glass. That’s a number that likely needs to improve given their personnel. For years, the NBA has tried to emphasize a faster pace of play, since offenses score more efficiently off transition opportunities than in the halfcourt, when the defense has time to set.

Ideally, the Sixers will be one of the hardest-to-stop teams in transition. Tyrese Maxey led the league in fast-break points with 382, James was second with 343, Jaylen Brown was 10th at 253 and VJ Edgecombe was 14th at 225.

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With four of the top-15 scorers in transition last season, the Sixers need to be one of the most up-tempo teams in the league to maximize this roster’s strengths.

Where the Sixers placed in defensive rebounding percentage last season. Only the Kevin Durant version of the Warriors have won titles in the last decade with a worse position in those rankings than the Sixers had last season. Five of the last six title winners have placed in the top 10 in this statistics, which measures what percentage of all available defensive rebounds a team grabs.

The difference between Embiid being on and off the floor didn’t have a big impact on the Sixers’ success rate in this area. As a team, the Sixers will have to make a commitment to the glass.