76ers begin the season as one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference
Starting the new year 5-2 is definitely something for the Philadelphia 76ers to pride themselves on, but we should not read too much into some of these victories. Three of their five wins this season have been against teams that did not make the playoffs last year and their two losses have been against the Knicks and Nets, two teams who are expected to be top-tier teams in the Eastern Conference.
Picking up a 10-point win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night was definitely a big win for the 76ers, especially since they were without Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris and the Blazers were at full-strength, but this team still has some holes to fill.
The Sixers are still searching for production outside of their two main talents in Embiid and Harris, even though they currently rank 4th in the NBA in point differential (+8.5). Seth Curry has continued to improve and Tyrese Maxey has done an excellent job as this team’s starting point guard, but there are questions surrounding their bench and if they can continue to improve.
Shake Milton, Furkan Korkmaz, Andre Drummond, and Georges Niang make up a better-looking 76ers’ bench than what they had last season and they have been great to begin this season. The Philadelphia 76ers rank 12th in the league in bench points per game and Milton, Korkmaz, and Niang are averaging double-digit scoring numbers so far this year.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: 76ers’ Ben Simmons Remains ‘Mentally Not Ready’ To Play
While the Philadelphia 76ers have had a lot of early-season success by starting the year 5-2, they have not really been challenged by high-level teams to this point, at least in victories.
Wins over the Trail Blazers and Hawks are definitely beneficial to this team’s growth, but their collapse against the Brooklyn Nets in their home-opener and getting handled easily by the Knicks is not a good look for this team.
Joel Embiid is once again proving that he is one of the most valuable players in the entire league and has continued to prove that he is one of the better two-way big men in the NBA, but the question of whether or not Simmons will play still weighs heavy over this team.
The Philadelphia 76ers do not need Ben Simmons to be a championship-level team in the Eastern Conference, but if they are not going to have him on the court, they need someone else to fill his role.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: 76ers’ Ben Simmons Remains ‘Mentally Not Ready’ To Play
Tyrese Maxey, Shake Milton, and Furkan Korkmaz have all played well and are key role players for this team, but are any of these guys really championship-level players?
They are great complementary talents to guys like Harris and Embiid on this team, but none of these three guys are going to be the difference in the Philadelphia 76ers getting past the likes of the Nets, Heat or Bucks in the Eastern Conference, especially come time for the playoffs. The 76ers still face a long journey ahead this season and a decision on Ben Simmons’ future will need to come sooner than later.
