Philadelphia 76ers: Does history say Joel Embiid or Ben Simmons need to be traded?

It’s Magic: Penny & Shaq

For those who think Simmons and Embiid are too young to lead a team far in the NBA playoffs, the performance of the 1994-95 Orlando Magic would say otherwise.

The stars of the Magic were a second-year point guard in 6-foot-7 Anfernee ‘Penny’ Hardaway and a center in his third season, Shaquille O’Neal.

Even if you are too young to have watched ‘Shaq’ in his prime, just seeing him on those TNT broadcasts you can tell he looks like he would be an overpowering force inside — and he was.

Like Malone and Abdul-Jabbar, O’Neal had no love for the three-ball. In 20 years he took a total of 22 threes, making one (for a 4.5 percent shooting percentage). At 7-foot-2, 315 pounds, he used brute force to score inside.

If the 15-time all-star could have made foul shots (career 52.7 percent on free throws) he would have been an even more incredible scorer.

Hardaway was an extraordinary player but injuries robbed him of making his mark on the league. He was a four-time all-star and three-time All-NBA performer but, after the 1995 season, he would only play more than 75 games in a year three times in the next 12 seasons before he retired in 2008.

The Magic did not stand around waiting for Shaq, they led the NBA in scoring that season with a 110.9 points average.

Despite their inexperience, Orlando had the top record in the East and defeated the Reggie Miller-led Indiana Pacers in a seven-game series in the Eastern Conference finals, winning Game 7 by a 105-81 margin.

Their youth and inexperience caught up with Orlando in the finals, as the defending champion Houston Rockets swept them in four straight.  Hardaway still finished as the playoff leader in assists and O’Neal was tops in rebounds.

It looked like the Magic were a dynasty in the making. They were not (which became the subject of an ESPN documentary), as the return of Michael Jordan from playing baseball blocked them for the next few years.

But the Magic that season showed a talented point guard and a strictly low-post scoring center can overcome youth and take their team far.

Conclusion

History has shown there is no reason Embiid and Simmons cannot play together and compete seriously for a championship. Coaching and surrounding talent might be impediments, but it will not be due to their respective style of play.