The 76ers have some of the best players in the NBA. Five of which have been named to a prestigious list.
ESPN has released its list of the top 100 players in the NBA. The Philadelphia 76ers have five players who made the list. Three of which cracked the top 20.
This is the kind of thing that has the fans waiting with anticipation for the start of the season. Jaylen Brown (#14). LeBron James (#18) and Tyrese Maxey (#11) have made quite the impression on reporters for each of them to be ranked in the top 20. But what that means for the 76ers is that there should be no excuses this year; they have to get the job done.
Joel Embii and VJ Edgecombe were the other two players who made it on the list. Embiid was placed in the top 50 with a ranking of 41, while Edgecombe came in at 72. It's a few things to take away from when you look at these placements.
First things first, Embiid is still considered a dominant player despite all his injuries. It’s fair to make that claim considering just how much of a factor Embiid played when he was able to play in the playoffs. Even though it was a short stint, he did more than enough, catapulting the 76ers past the Boston Celtics.
The second thing is that the 76ers' Big Three are clearly James, Brown, and Maxey. It’s one thing to have a player or two in the top 100, but the entire starting five made the list. This proves that these guys have the talent to go far. It’s just a question of whether the team will be able to stay on the floor long enough to make it happen.
That’s what made it hard for this team to be successful last season. Paul George, Embiid, and Maxey only played a total of 36 games together through their two years together. It’s going to take all three of these star players to get this team on the right track.
Thirdly, this listing shows how much talent Edgecombe has. While many will say he’s going to struggle, ESPN thinks otherwise. In fact, Edgecombe is going to be one of the most advantageous players on the team. Edgecombe has the talent to score any way he wants. If he can take advantage of his open opportunities, this team could be unstoppable.
The mere fact that this team has a starting five composed of the top 100 best players in the association just shows that this team will be a problem. If they fall short of expectation, it’ll be the biggest blunder maybe in NBA history.
