Sixers: How many players do they have in The Athletic’s top 125?

Sixers included in The Athletic’s top 125: Seth Curry

RANKING: Tier 4A (37-56)

This one came out of left field. My jaw dropped when reading it. This is probably the highest appraisal of Seth Curry’s game you will find. To place him over Tobias Harris is a bold statement, but to put in the same sub-tier as CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram, and Malcolm Brogdon is even more… ambitious.

To his credit, Curry has earned the respect. He was a monster in the Sixers’ all-too-brief playoffs run, averaging 21.0 points on 59.6 percent shooting from 3 in the Hawks series. For the season, Curry averaged 12.5 points on .467/.450/.896 shooting splits.

Partnow’s argument is simple. Curry is elite in his role. He is one of the best shooters in basketball, with the capacity to hit shots standing still, pulling up, or on the move. He’s not his brother, but to sink 45 percent of your 3s — especially on 4.0 attempts per game — is borderline absurd. Only a handful of players can match Curry’s proficiency from beyond the arc.

That’s a fair case to make, too. Curry is naturally an analytics darling, and his role in Philly is perfectly crafted to maximize both his production and his importance. He is tied at the hip to Joel Embiid, a player who elevates the performance of his teammates. Curry also elevates Embiid, working tirelessly out of Doc Rivers’ favorite two-man action.

This feels like a slight overestimation of Curry as a player. I would personally have Harris firmly above him. Even so, it’s nice to see Curry get the recognition, which again, he is totally deserving of.