NBA Champion Believes 76ers Are Ready To Dethrone Knicks

When the regular season begins, the Philadelphia 76ers are going to have all eyes on them. Especially considering they will be playing the New York Knicks on opening night. 

Ironically enough, a former NBA champion has already given the 76ers victory and has even gone as far as saying they will ultimately dethrone the Knicks in the Eastern Conference. That former champion is NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins. 

Perkins' declaration doesn’t just come out of thin air. His reasoning for this is because of their head coach Nick Nurse. Perkins states that Nurse is a coach who knows how to put players in a position to win. It was something many of us witnessed when he coached the Toronto Raptors to an NBA Championship. But what exactly does Perkins see in this team beyond their coaching staff that would lead him to believe this could actually happen? 

There’s only one logical answer, LeBron James. See, James has been such a fallback for so many teams that it’s just expected of him to make it happen. But that may not be the case this time around. James isn’t the same player he once was, and he may not do what many, including Perkins, expect of him. It’s been said on numerous occasions that James isn’t looking to be the guy on this team. 

That’s why Jaylen Brown was brought in. Brown and Tyrese Maxey were a huge part of James coming to Philadelphia, and these guys and Joel Embiid have been itching to get on the court together to showcase just a taste of what this season is going to be like. If Perkins believes that this team is going to dethrone the Knicks, then he believes no other team in the East holds a candle to this team’s potential.  But that’s where things end, potential.

That’s what Perkins and many others are banking on. The potential of this team is astronomical, and that could be what makes them falter as well. That’s the thing, the 76ers are walking along that line of being really good or being extremely underwhelming, and that’s just going to be the ongoing theme of this team.

The expectation is on the level of James’ Miami Heat. Having all of these All-Stars is a blessing and a curse. You can hang with anyone, but at the same time, you’re not allowed to lose to anyone. The moment you do, it’s time for the curtain call.

While Perkins may be right, it’s going to take Nurse and his entire roster to prove him right and reign as the king of the East.