The Philadelphia 76ers continue to get national recognition, with four players cracking Bleacher Report’s midseason top 100.
Talent is no longer a shortcoming with this Philadelphia 76ers team. There are still plenty of flaws, both in roster construction and in-game execution, but we’re finally seeing a competitive group with the potential to win a playoff series in the coming years.
Their rapid improvement has brought more national recognition as well. While The Process era Sixers used to trudge through entire seasons without a top 100 player, this year’s team has four. Bleacher Report released their midseason rankings Tuesday morning.
The four Sixers included were no surprise, with Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Robert Covington and J.J. Redick all earning spots. Dario Saric and T.J. McConnell were debatabe exclusions, but understandable nonetheless.
Embiid was slotted 15th, which was the highest of the bunch. Giannis Antetokounmpo (4), Anthony Davis (7), DeMarcus Cousins (10) and Draymond Green (14) were the only bigs ranked higher. We’ve already touched on the Embiid v.s. Cousins debate, but Embiid’s injury concerns and turnover issues warrant some slippage.
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In a vacuum, he’s probably a better player than Green, but team situation factors into this. Green’s offensive and defensive versatility holds tremendous value for the best team in the league, so it’s hard to argue against his placement. Giannis in ahead for obvious reasons.
Still, the fact that he’s already a top 15 player less than 70 games into his NBA career is almost unheard of. His growth curve has been nothing short of impressive, so continued improvement in the coming seasons is expected.
Simmons was slotted at 33, ahead of names like Andre Drummond, Paul Millsap (who?) and Mike Conley. I’m not sure if Simmons ranks ahead of Conley when the latter is fully healthy, but Simmons is quickly working his ways towards unquestioned top 30 status.
His combination of physical tools and basketball I.Q. is wholly unique, to the point where he doesn’t need a jumper to be effective. He can get into the paint and create regardless of how far off defenders sag off him, relying on his strength, quickness and footwork to get buckets and create off penetration.
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He’s also one of the best defensive guards in the league, which is rare for any rookie. He’s a 6-foot-10 dude playing point guard. He moves his feet well on the perimeter, gets into passing lanes in LeBron James-esque fashion and has the physical tools needed to defend five positions.
That, at times, is his most valuable skill.
Robert Covington’s two-way prowess earned him the 42nd spot, which might be a bit high given his inconsistency on offense. Still, he’s an elite defender on the wing who has a lot of gravity when he’s confidently stepping into shots from deep. His on/off splits are worth noting as well.
Redick fell to 94, which is understandable for a player who’s one-sided in nature like him.
Overall, this list does a nice job of illustrating the success Philadelphia’s rebuild is currently experiencing. They aren’t a polished competitor yet, but they have two top 35 players, while their next-best piece was an undrafted free agent whose opportunity came as a result of Philly’s extensive rebuilding efforts.
Next: Who do the Sixers want to face in the first round?
They’re moving in the right direction, and fans should be excited about their long-term future.