The Philadelphia 76ers may have missed out on some individual awards, but that does not mean that they missed out on earning some postseason awards love from their terrific 2020-21 regular season.
The Sixers have been one of the top defensive teams all season and that is due to the stellar play of Ben Simmons and Matisse Thybulle out on the perimeter and then that is backed up by Joel Embiid at the rim. Even Tobias Harris has taken steps forward on that end.
A few of those players earned some love as the league announced the 2021 All-Defensive Teams on Monday night. Simmons made the First Team and he joins Rudy Gobert, Draymond Green, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Jrue Holiday while both Thybulle and Embiid were named to the Second Team and they join Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, and Kawhi Leonard.
2020-21 NBA All-Defensive teams:
First team: Rudy Gobert, Ben Simmons, Draymond Green, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday
Second team: Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, Joel Embiid, Matisse Thybulle, Kawhi Leonard
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 14, 2021
While Simmons missed out on the Defensive Player of the Year award, he absolutely deserves to be on the First Team as he has stepped up on that end all season. He has locked up the likes of Luka Doncic, James Harden, Bradley Beal, and Trae Young as he has shown off his defensive acumen all season.
Meanwhile, Embiid has been a huge rim protector for Philadelphia as he makes opponents think twice about challenging him at the basket and Thybulle is a menace off the bench. Thybulle averaged 2.9 steals and 2.0 blocks per 36 minutes off the bench.
The Sixers will need more strong efforts from their team as they move forward in the playoffs. They will look to take a 3-1 lead on the Atlanta Hawks in Game 4 of their Round 2 series which tips off at 7:30 p.m. EDT from State Farm Arena.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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