At around week five of the NBA season, our SBNation power ranks had the Sixers essentially in the basement of the NBA. They generally kept Doug Collins’ boys above the likes of the Nets and Raptors, but that was it. They were the third worst team in the NBA.
What a difference two months makes.
The Sixers have surged since that point as Collins seems to have found his preferred lineup, Andre Iguodala has gotten healthy, and Jrue Holiday has continued to blossom into one of the best young PGs in the game. As a result, our latest rank has them leaping up to No. 12.
12. Philadelphia 76ers (26-28, Prev: #17) — The Sixers have nearly the same point margin as the Hawks … against a tougher schedule. Philadelphia might be more dangerous than the Hawks and Knicks in the first round.
This puts the Sixers above teams like the Knicks and Hawks, who both currently sit just above Philly in the Eastern conference standings.
SBNation’s full NBA rankings can be found here.
Also, Libery Ballers has a wider roundup of power ranks from around the web.