Sixers playoff predictions: Will they make it out of the Play-In Tournament? How far will they advance?

With Joel Embiid unavailable and the odds stacked against them, the 76ers will enter these NBA playoffs in a familiar position. How do those on The Inquirer’s Sixers beat expect Tyrese Maxey and Co. to fare? Will they make it out of the Play-In Tournament? Can they steal a series? Could they advance further? We polled the experts.

Will the Sixers make it out of the play-in? Yes. But they had better win Wednesday against the Orlando Magic, because a season-on-the-line elimination game against the upstart Charlotte Hornets is downright scary. Orlando entered 2025-26 as a dark horse East contender after adding Desmond Bane to its core of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs, and Anthony Black. But the Magic’s season has been part injury-plagued, part puzzling disaster.

» READ MORE: Sixers to treat Play-In matchup against Magic as ‘win or go home’ game: ‘We shouldn’t be looking at a Plan B’

Though the Magic’s normally staunch defense has slipped this season, they still boast physicality and size across the board. That matchup could come down to whether Banchero or Maxey is more efficient from the floor.

If so, how far will they advance? First round. Though winning Wednesday is the best path for the Sixers to make the playoffs, they will be severely overmatched against the Celtics without Embiid. Jaylen Brown will be on MVP ballots, and Joe Mazzulla would be a very deserving Coach of the Year. Jayson Tatum is back from his Achilles injury. Derrick White and Payton Pritchard are two of NBA’s best complementary players.

The Sixers’ shorthanded roster cannot keep up with that, or the sharp discrepancy in three-point makes and percentage. A positive of getting into this series, even if it’s quick work? Valuable playoff experience for standout rookie VJ Edgecombe against a legitimate NBA Finals contender in a supercharged road environment.

Will the Sixers make it out of the play-in? Yes, probably. The Sixers’ best chance to advance out of the Play-In is on Wednesday against Orlando. The Magic suffered an uninspiring loss to a Celtics team resting virtually the entire rotation with playoff seeding on the line. They’re a tough, physical team, but Banchero is an inconsistent shooter and their offensive rating is the worst of any team that made the postseason.

If the Sixers lose that game, a potential matchup against Charlotte looks much scarier. The Sixers (with Embiid) did pull out a win in Charlotte, their best win of the last two months, but the Hornets’ potent offense has just gotten better and better as the season has progressed.

If so, how far will they advance? First round. That’ll end with the Celtics in five. In the likely event that Embiid can’t play in most, if not all, of the first round, the Celtics, now with Tatum back from an Achilles tear, are too deep and too dangerous for the Sixers to dispatch.

Will the Sixers make it out of the play-in? The odds say they win one of two at home, but this isn’t a gimme. The bottom of the East is more competitive than it has been in quite some time. Orlando has way too much talent to be in the play-in round, but the Magic sure play like they deserve it. If Wagner was healthy and in normal form, the Sixers would be in trouble. But Wagner has looked like a shell of himself since returning from injury, which should lessen the Magic’s size and physicality advantage on the wing.

If so, how far will they advance? First round. They aren’t winning more than a game against the Celtics. The Pistons could make for a fun series, but it would take herculean efforts from Maxey, Edgecombe, and Paul George to actually win a series.

Will the Sixers make it out of the play-in? Yes. While the Sixers will enter the Play-In Tournament with “no plan B,” they still get two shots at this thing. The Magic have been spotty this year because of health and inefficient shooting, but one thing is clear: When they’re good, they’re good, and when they’re bad, they’re bad.

» READ MORE: As Magic await and Celtics loom, Sixers can make a playoff statement even in defeat

They finished the year strong despite Sunday’s loss to Luka Garza and the zombie Celtics. And before that, their bumps in January and March can be attributed to the absence of Wagner. I expect the Sixers to lose at home against Orlando and win their second game against Charlotte or Miami.

If so, how far will they advance? First round. Neither matchup is favorable, but playing the Detroit Pistons is actually a better setup for the Sixers. Boston has experience, Brown has carried the load all regular season and Tatum has rounded into form. White and Pritchard remain solid in the backcourt. Neemias Queta even torched the Sixers.

This is Detroit’s first time as the big dog and No. 1 seed in the East. Maxey and George will present a challenge, but the Pistons are a better team. Cade Cunningham was the league’s MVP before he suffered a collapsed lung, Sharon Hill native Jalen Duren made another leap this year, and the Sixers just don’t have enough to weather that storm without Embiid.