After the 76ers' 130-119 victory over the Knicks on January 3rd, Tim Bontemps joined Tim McMahon and Brian Windhorst on ESPN's 'The Hoop Collective' to identify if the 76ers and Celtics should be considered Major Contenders in the East. While all three acknowledge Philadelphia's playoff caliber, Bontemps lavished high praise on the 76ers riding their three game win streak.
ESPN's Tim Bontemps was quick to praise the team's stars, saying: ""They have a lot of talent. Paul George and Joel Embiid are rounding into form. It's again going back to what we talked about with Boston. Because these teams at the top of the East have so many flaws, [...] you could make a case for Philly right now that they they should be up there with those teams."
Analyst gives 76ers a strong chance to come out of the East
"Philly, they have the highest ceiling of these teams in the East"Tim Bontemps
Looking forward to which teams are actually capable of coming out of a weakened East, Bontemps went on to say "If this Sixers team is healthy on April 15th, they have the highest ceiling, in my opinion, of these teams in the East." Between Maxey's MVP level season, Edgecombe's breakout, and guys like Oubre and Watford still waiting in the wings due to injury recovery, Bontemps' appraisal of the 76ers ceiling is certainly accurate.
"These teams at the top of the East have so many flaws. "Tim Bontemps
As of January 5th, the 76ers sit fifth in the Eastern Conference standings behind the Pistons, Knicks, Celtics, and Raptors. None of those teams screams juggernaut like the reigning champs in OKC and the Alien led squad in San Antonio. Maxey has shown the capability before to go toe-to-toe against stars like Cunningham, Brunson, and Brown.
Detroit has had consistent turnover issues this year, which players like Maxey and Edgecombe have proven willing and able to capitalize on both on defense and in transition. New York is below .500 away from the world's most famous arena, and Philadelphia is 2-0 in head to head matchups so far against the Knicks.
Boston's frontcourt is reliant on unproven bigs like Neemias Queta and Josh Minott for big minutes and has always been a feast or famine offense reliant on three point shooting. And currently Toronto has the eighth worst offensive output in the league (by points per game), in large part owing to a lack of a true superstar.
The Sisyphean hurtle, the forever question, still haunts this team: Will Joel Embiid (and Paul George) be healthy in the playoffs? But ESPN reporting and the eye test both seem to agree that if Philadelphia rolls those lucky sevens they have as much talent and depth as any of those teams in front of them in addition to those like Cleveland, Orlando, and Miami clawing at their heels. But in the meantime, the January 76ers have a chance to continue to bank wins and climb up the standings.