ESPN Analyst Considers Sixers 'Underrated' Contenders
Last season, the Philadelphia 76ers saw themselves as championship contenders as the team was headlined by two All-Stars, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. In addition to those two guys, Tobias Harris was in the All-Star conversation, giving Philadelphia a big-three type of look.
The Sixers earned the top spot in the Eastern Conference, giving them home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. After defeating the Washington Wizards in five games, Philly drew the Atlanta Hawks as their second-round opponent.
That's when it all went downhill for Philly. The Sixers dropped their second-round series against the Hawks in seven games and went home early. At that point, they knew they blew a tremendous opportunity to make a run for the NBA Finals potentially.
In addition to blowing their chances last year, the Sixers lost their three-time All-Star, Ben Simmons, this season as he grew disgruntled and demanded a trade. Simmons remains a member of the Sixers right now, but he refuses to play.
As long as Simmons is off the court and the Sixers don't find a star to replace him, many believe the Sixers' chances of winning a title this year are gone. However, ESPN analyst and former NBA big man Kendrick Perkins doesn't think that's the case.
Perkins' Latest Statement on the Sixers
“Philly has an underrated squad. You know why they are not pressing to trade Ben Simmons? Because of the play of Tyrese Maxey. Tyrese Maxey was supposed to be a lottery pick. Shoutout to all of the stupid GMs that passed up on him, by the way. Look, this kid is a flat-out young star. And then with the big fella, he cannot be stopped. You look at the players they have around him — if you can get a little bit out of the high paid Tobias Harris — you have Danny Green, you have Seth Curry, you have Andre Drummond coming in as a backup and you give them one-percent chance to win in the East. Listen, right now, they are half a game back from being in the first spot without Ben Simmons. They were number one with Ben Simmons. I love the way this team is constructed right now.”
The Sixers found out they had something special in Tyrese Maxey last season when he garnered limited minutes in the regular season and the playoffs. This year, though, the second-year guard's emergence has been tremendous.
Not only has Maxey doubled his scoring average as he puts up 16 points per game in the starting lineup, but he's also improved as a three-point shooter draining 40-percent of his deep shots. Also, he is growing as a passer, playmaker, and defender.
Mix in Maxey's emergence with Joel Embiid playing at an even higher level this season and Tobias Harris getting back on track, and the Sixers have looked much better lately. In January, the Sixers went 12-3. They currently possess a 31-19 record, which places them second in the Eastern Conference.
Most know that Philadelphia is one star away from truly contending -- whether they net somebody in a Simmons deal or get Simmons back himself. But in Perkins' eyes, the Sixers already have what it takes to make some noise in the East.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
