Bleacher Report’s definitive opus on the 2019-20 season comes with a few hot takes.
Bleacher Report has spent the past week ranking the top 15 players at every position in advance of the NBA’s Orlando re-start. The Philadelphia 76ers were well represented — Ben Simmons at the point guard position, Tobias Harris at the power forward position, and Joel Embiid at the center position.
To cap things off, Bleacher Report has now released a ranking of the top-100 players from this season. Those last two words are important. This is not “best players in a vacuum,” but “best players based on value added in 2019-20.” Naturally, players who have been hurt — or who have performed below expectations — are painted in a less flattering light.
The Philadelphia 76ers as a whole have performed below expectations this season, which can make it difficult to get a proper read on some players. While Tobias Harris, for example, has produced, a slow start and the Sixers’ inability to properly position him has hurt his stock.
Even so, the Sixers are liberally included on this list, but not in the exact way you might expect. Few teams have more individual talent than the Sixers. Philadelphia is simply struggled to take advantage of its talent. To make the parts work as a whole.
Here’s where everyone landed, from lowest to highest.
81. Al Horford
I nearly threw water on my computer reading this. My goodness, this take is hot. Sweltering.
Much has been said about Al Horford’s struggles this season. He’s averaging 12.0 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game on career-low 44.2 percent shooting. Part of it is age. Part of it is the Sixers’ inability to properly use him.
Horford is a natural five, and the Sixers simply cannot play to his strengths without taking away from Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. Horford needs more touches in the post, more reps in the pick-and-roll, than Brett Brown can afford to give him. It’s a travesty on numerous levels, but the point remains — he has been a tough watch this season.
And yet, Bleacher Report still commends his steady hand at the center position.
"“He has played nearly 1,000 minutes at the 5, though, and he’s looked more like his old self there. In those alignments, he’s averaged 17.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks per 75 possessions.”"
If Horford was the full-time center for a more traditionally constructed roster, he would probably still produce at a high level. Philadelphia was never going to work, and frankly, we the collective were foolish to buy it in the year 2019. Horford is versatile, yes, but not when squeezed out of his spots and forced to float aimlessly on the perimeter.
A few notable names behind Horford on this list: Robert Covington, Myles Turner, Lou Williams, Andre Drummond, Clint Capela, Marcus Morris, Davis Bertans… Josh Richardson. In fact, Richardson doesn’t appear on the list at all. Likely due to injuries, but a bold decision nonetheless (and one I frankly disagree with).
63. Tobias Harris
A return to listing normalcy. An understandable yet definitely-on-the-low-side ranking of Tobias Harris, who has been productive in the first year of his massively overpriced $180 million contract. But as Bleacher Report says, evaluating Harris against his contract is unfair, and it often takes away from his talent on the court.
Harris is averaging 19.4 points and 6.8 rebounds. He’s the Sixers’ No. 2 scorer behind Embiid, and since Nov. 15, he has buried 39.1 percent of his 3-pointers. A slow start to the season caused many to sour on Harris, but he has turned things around in a big way. As he (hopefully) transitions to power forward on a full-time basis, his productivity should only increase.
"“For all the Sixers’ offensive clumpiness, they’ve fared quite well when Harris sets up shop at power forward—lineup combinations they have at the same time fielded more than you think and not nearly enough. (Translation: What is Al Horford doing in Philly?) His defense has also been pleasantly solid, even relative to the less-squirmy assignments he pulls by seeing so much time between some combination of Josh Richardson, Ben Simmons and Matisse Thybulle.”"
The Sixers need Harris to be something he’s not — a go-to scorer late in games, and a fall-back option in the halfcourt. He doesn’t have a ton of wiggle to his game, and he’s not going to create proficiently in isolation. Harris is at his best in secondary or tertiary roles. Even so, his floor-spacing qualities — in addition to his pull-up game — still adds tremendous value.
He crashes the boards hard, he has improved substantially on defense, and he’s easily the most consistent perimeter weapon on the roster. Harris makes the Sixers tick, even if he’s not the universal solvent Philadelphia once had in Jimmy Butler.
15. Ben Simmons
This is good. Really good. It’s clear Bleacher Report has the proper respect for Ben Simmons, a generational talent who, despite a well-documented hole in his repertoire, is among the most dominant entities in the sport. Simmons is a top-15 player. I buy it.
At 6-foot-10, Simmons has transformed himself from a defensive liability in college to a viable Defensive Player of the Year candidate this season. He can aptly defend all five positions, with versatility virtually unmatched elsewhere in the league. He can lock down twitchy guards at the point of attack, or he can stonewall centers at the rim. Few players can touch Simmons on defense.
More from Sixers News
- 3 Sixers players who could help Team USA Basketball
- 76ers 2k24 ratings: 3 most underrated players on Philadelphia roster
- 76ers head coach Nick Nurse bares lofty plans for Paul Reed this season
- Grade the Trade: 76ers swap Tobias Harris for superstar PG in mock deal
- Breaking Down Bombshell Report on Sixers Star James Harden
On the other end, Simmons is one of the best 3-point manufacturers in basketball. And the Sixers are notoriously slight in the shooters department. He pressures the rim despite posing zero threat away from it, and he’s one of the most dynamic transition threats in the league. He blends the strength of LeBron James, the speed of vintage John Wall, and the Magic Johnson-ian flashes that landed him the No. 1 pick. He’s flawed — duh — but amidst his flaws is a truly elite player.
"“Simmons has the speed and size (6’10”) to thrive amid his own shortcomings. He’s still in the 93rd percentile of finishing around the rim, and defenses remain inclined to collapse around him when he’s going downhill. It is within this chaos that Simmons’ passing IQ shines. He is a drive-and-kick whiz and has the floor awareness to hit trailing shooters and sling dimes to the corners. No one has assisted on more three-pointers than him, according to PBP Stats.”"
The Sixers need an aggressive and forceful Simmons when the season re-starts. The Sixers are one of the biggest beneficiaries of the hiatus precisely because it gave Simmons time to heal and regenerate. He has added even more muscle, and he is reportedly 100 percent healthy.
Beware, NBA. Beware.
12. Joel Embiid
It’s important to remember the scope of these rankings. It’s based on 2019-20 alone — a season in which Embiid has certainly performed below expectations. He has seemed atypically passive and bashful. Rather than grabbing the offense by the neck, he has deferred to lesser talent and made an effort to save himself for the playoffs.
Embiid has made plenty of cryptic comments about “needing to make things work for Ben,” or needing to “just be himself,” but at the end of the day, Embiid has not been himself. And no matter how clunky the fit with Simmons is, it’s on Embiid to command the ball, attack the post, and force defenses to react.
Part of this is also because Simmons has truly closed the gap. Embiid is still the Sixers’ best player — and definitively so — but Simmons has made substantial gains, most notably as a defender. It’s Simmons, not Embiid, who is primed for first team All-Defense honors this season.
When he’s at his best, few players can rival Embiid’s physical dominance. He’s a 7-foot wrecking ball in the post. Double teams flock to him like moths to a lamp at night. Embiid forces defenses into chaos, and he’s gradually getting better at capitalizing on that chaos.
"“When he’s engaged, Joel Embiid shows flashes of Rudy Gobert-level defense and Karl-Anthony Towns-level offense. Though probably a little shy of both comparisons, when combined, Embiid looks like he might be the best center in the game”"
This hasn’t been Embiid’s prime season on defense, but he’s still among the top rim protectors in basketball. He moves his feet better than someone his size has any right to, and his instincts are top-shelf. He engulfs hapless guards who venture too close to the rim, and he can out-muscle just about any center in the league.
Embiid should probably be higher, and my guess is he would if this were a general ranking, and not one based solely on this season. Jayson Tatum (No. 11) and Khris Middleton (No. 10) are wonderful players, but they aren’t better than Embiid. At least not yet.