Depending on who you ask, the Philadelphia 76ers could either be deemed a lethal, under-the-radar championship contender or a great pretender that is actually less than the sum of its parts. Err on the side of caution as much as you can, but the sheer amount of talent their roster possesses is something that cannot be argued against.
In fact, this 76ers squad boasts a unique advantage that very few title hopefuls can hope to match — scoring variance. Between Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, VJ Edgecombe, and a few others, Philly has an overwhelming cast of scorers who can go get the team 20 points and more in a single game.
Of course, scoring is not the end-all, be-all for any team hoping to contend for the championship and the 76ers know that fully well. Defense and intangibles often make for the biggest pendulum-swingers despite being the least flashiest of departments, and tactical nuances also make a world of difference in determining the outcome of nail-biters. However, scoring is fundamental, and this team has loads of abundant sources to generate points on the board.
The 76ers have a ton of high-octane scorers who can save them in the playoffs
Of course, defenses tend to become more targeted in the postseason, which makes it way less tenable to rely on a primary scorer or two to get the team out of funks and scoring droughts. Fortunately, the 76ers are unique in that they are littered with guys who have ample experiences with shouldering a big load on offense.
Embiid and Maxey are the main gunners for this team, but even when the defense manages to slow them down, the 76ers still have George, who has extensive experience in the postseason, to bail them out.
Edgecombe, who has been absolutely fearless and confident in his three-level scoring skills, might just be the biggest X-factor for the 76ers come playoff time. He punishes defenses with his opportunistic mindset, which is something that will pay off in rubber matches.
Outside of those starters, Philly still has other players who are very capable scorers in their own right. Quentin Grimes was temporarily the No. 1 guy on the roster late last season, and his volume three-point shooting still allows him to rack up points in a hurry. Kelly Oubre Jr. has been a steady source of scoring for this team for quite some time now while also having experience being a featured scorer during his Charlotte days.
There is also Jared McCain who, while immensely struggling so far this season, should be pretty lethal as an option on the tertiary with his natural skills as a scorer. He is still someone whom defenses cannot get comfortable leaving open, especially on the perimeter.
When the playoffs come, the Philadelphia 76ers have a deep crest of capable scorers who can make them much more difficult to handle. As long as they are healthy, this is something they can take advantage of to make an unprecedentedly deep playoff run.