Hall of Fame guard Tracy McGrady believes the Philadelphia 76ers are the scariest team to face in the Eastern Conference.
The Philadelphia 76ers are the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 30-23, but facing them in the playoffs is far from an opponent's hope.
This is because Joel Embiid is playing his best basketball in more than two years, so if he's able to remain healthy, Philadelphia will be tough to take down in a seven-game series. In 2026, he is averaging 29.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.5 assists on 53.5% shooting in 17 games played.
Hall of Fame guard and seven-time All-Star Tracy McGrady clearly recognizes how dangerous the Sixers can be with Embiid playing at this level, as he deemed them the East's scariest team.
"You don't want to play Philly," McGrady began. "Philly is the scariest team because they have an MVP in Joel Embiid, who's averaging 30, who's moving well, and he got a point guard [Tyrese Maxey] that's averaging 30, and then he got a vet [Paul George] that's on a little 25-game hiatus right now that's going to come back fresh."
McGrady continued, "There are going to be 10 games left; he get them 10 games under his belt going into the playoffs. If Joel Embiid is healthy and he's able to change from defense to offense with no hesitations or limitations."
Maxey is performing at an All-NBA level this season, averaging 28.8 points, 6.8 assists, and 4.2 rebounds on 47.0% shooting in 51 appearances. He was deservingly named an All-Star starter for the first time in his career at just 25 years old.
While George's suspension does hurt the 76ers' chances of landing a higher seed in the postseason, McGrady brings up a valid point. The nine-time All-Star should be able to fire on all cylinders to conclude the regular season as well as to start the playoffs. He is averaging just 16.0 points on 42.4% shooting this season, but his impact on both ends of the floor has gone well beyond the stat sheet.
Just as McGrady claimed, teams should be quite worried if they're matched up against the 76ers come playoff time.
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Anthony Pasciolla is the publisher of 76ersRoundtable. He can be reached via email at ampasciolla@gmail.com or followed on X @AnthonyPasci.