By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly editor 
The Philadelphia 76ers begin their preseason schedule at 7:00 p.m. tonight against the Memphis Grizzlies. There are a lot of exciting headlines heading into their exhibition opener, which you can read about by clicking here. The Sixers have rookie debuts in Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz and they added veteran sharpshooter JJ Redick, leading many to believe they'll make the postseason in a somewhat weakened Eastern Conference this season.
Earlier on Wednesday, NBA.com released their annual General Manager survey, having the GM's from around the league vote on everything from which team will win the finals to who will be the best player over the next five years. The GMs responded to 47 different questions about the best teams, players, coaches, fans, and offseason moves. General managers were not permitted to vote for their own team or personnel. Percentages are based on the pool of respondents to that particular question, rather than all 30 GMs.
The Sixers got some mention, but one player got snubbed in the Rookie of the Year category. GM's have the Sixers placing outside the top-6 in the Eastern Conference, behind Cleveland, Boston, Washington, Toronto, Charlotte and Miami.
Which player is most likely to have a breakout season in 2017-18?
There weren't any Sixers listed in the top-5 here as Karl-Anthony Towns earned 21 percent of the votes, but both Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid received votes. Kristaps Porzingis and Myles Turner got 14 percent of the votes while Jusif Nurkic and Andrew Wiggins rounded out the top-5.
Which team will be most improved in 2017-18?
The Sixers placed second in voting in this category, getting 17 percent of the votes after winning 28 games in 2016-17 which was 18 more than the previous season. With the additions of Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz and JJ Redick to the already promising talent of Joel Embiid and Dario Saric, the Sixers will be a top watched team in the upcoming season. The Minnesota Timberwolves had a disappointing 31-51 season last year and with the young talent they have, GM's votes them as the team who is most improved with 69 percent of the tallies.
Who will win 2017-18 Rookie of the Year?
Well, as much as I hate debating Rookie of the Year in October, it's shocking Markelle Fultz didn't even receive a vote by GM's in this category. To no one's surprise, Lonzo Ball got 62 percent of the votes. Although Fultz didn't get votes, GM's around the league didn't forget about Ben Simmons. The former LSU standout got the second most votes in the Rookie of the Year category with 24 percent. Dennis Smith Jr. placed third with seven percent.
Which rookie will be the best player in five years?
Markelle Fultz may have gotten snubbed in the last category, but NBA General Manager's have Fultz as the second leading vote-getter in this category with 21 percent of votes behind Phoenix's Josh Jackson, who got 24 percent. Fact is, Rookie of the Year is not as important as how the player will develop over time in the NBA. With NBA GM's giving Fultz 21 percent of their votes, it's good to know they believe in the talent he brings at this level. Boston's Jayson Tatum was tied with 21 percent of the votes with Fultz. Meanwhile, Ben Simmons and Lonzo Ball each got 14 percent.
Which player is best at moving without the ball?
Golden State's Klay Thompson takes home the majority of votes in this one with 61 percent, but coming in second is Sixers shooting guard, JJ Redick. In four seasons with the Lakers, Redick shot 44 percent from beyond the arc and will be the Sixers' primary catch-and-shoot option from long and mid-range heading into the season. Redick got more votes than Stephen Curry and Kyle Korver, who both got seven percent of GM votes.
In some other categories, Gregg Popovich got most votes as the best coach and manager/motivator of people, the Boston-Cleveland trade involving Kyrie Irving was voted most surprising move, Rudy Gobert was voted best interior defender, LeBron James led the MVP voting, Golden State was voted as most likely to win the Finals and James Harden was voted as the league's best shooting guard. For the full NBA GM survey, click here.
