Regardless of what happens with the situation surrounding Ben Simmons, the Philadelphia 76ers figure to be one of the more talented teams in the league. The Sixers will have a ton of talent, and they will figure into any contender conversation in the NBA.
The reason is superstar big man Joel Embiid, who will have a very good player, Tobias Harris, alongside him. The team has a proven coach, Doc Rivers, and proven role players Danny Green and Seth Curry.
In the latest NBA power rankings put out by veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein, the Sixers are ranked 10th:
Last season was Philadelphia’s first as the top seed entering the Eastern Conference playoffs since Allen Iverson and Larry Brown formed a partnership to lead the 76ers to the 2001 NBA Finals. This season? You hesitate to proclaim with confidence that the Sixers will be a top-four seed in the East because we don’t know yet how the Ben Simmons saga will be resolved. How long will the Sixers’ search for a palatable Simmons trade drag into the season? What sort of return package will the Sixers ultimately score in a Simmons deal? It’s going to be hard to get a read on these guys until we have those answers.
The Sixers will almost certainly look like a different team out on the floor when the season tips off on Oct. 20 once Simmons does get traded, but thanks to Embiid and the other pieces on this roster, they should still be in good shape.
They will be in the mix with the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks as well as the Brooklyn Nets in order to represent the East in the 2022 NBA finals.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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