4 Sixers Starters Rank as NBA's Top 100 Ahead of Training Camp
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This week, a handful of NBA teams fired up their media days. On Monday, the Philadelphia 76ers will host theirs in Camden, New Jersey, before taking off to South Carolina for a week-long training camp.
With the 2022-2023 NBA season rapidly approaching, the Sixers look like a much-improved team compared to last year. While they held onto all of their stars from last season, Philly's front office added some notable veterans to boost the supporting cast.
Considering the Sixers kept all of their core players from the previous year, the team enters the new basketball year with four players popping up on ESPN's Top 100.
Earlier this week, a panel of ESPN basketball writers got together to reveal their Top 100 in the NBA. In the first installment of the series, both Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris appeared on the list.
Tobias Harris
For Harris, he was named the 56th best player in the league, per ESPN.
"Over the final two months of last season, Harris settled into a groove playing alongside midseason acquisition James Harden and arguably played the best basketball of his career. But on a team where he is now arguably the fourth scoring option, can he continue to handle that sort of role over the course of a full season?"
Since Harris earned himself a max contract with the Sixers in 2019, the veteran forward struggled to exceed expectations. Harris might be a player who gets paid All-Star money without having an All-Star appearance, but the contract concerns often cloud reality.
Harris is a solid fourth option for the Sixers on the offensive end. He's also grown a lot as a defender over the last couple of years as well. The Sixers are in good shape if the veteran remains selfless and comfortable with a supporting cast role.
Tyrese Maxey
It only took one season from Maxey to go from way outside of the Top 100 to inserting himself into the Top 50. That happens when a hard-working talent gets the playing time to shine.
"He ended the season as a foundational piece. If he can continue to improve his passing skills and repeat his massive shooting jump (going from 30% to 41% from 3-point range) in his third NBA season, he could leap even higher on this list."
Maxey passed the eye test his rookie season, but the former Kentucky standout had to wait his turn behind other notable talents such as Ben Simmons and Seth Curry.
When Simmons held out from the Sixers, Maxey seized the opportunity and doubled his production. He might not have earned Most Improved Player honors, but he did garner recognition for the award. Now, Maxey's viewed as an All-Star in the making.
James Harden
Top ten? Not quite. Just a few seasons ago, James Harden was crowned the NBA scoring champion for the third-straight year. In 2018, he was recognized as the NBA's Most Valuable Player.
Now, there are a lot of question marks surrounding the ten-time All-Star. Regardless of whether Harden can return to MVP form or not, he's still a borderline Top 10 player in the league as he ranks 11th on ESPN's list.
"Will the real Harden please stand up? After a summer full of videos of Harden's dedication of working out and preparing for the upcoming campaign, all eyes will be on The Beard in order to see if his MVP form can return, or if the version who wasn't given serious All-NBA consideration is here to stay."
At 33 years old, Harden is beginning to battle injuries and fatigue. However, the star guard claims he hasn't had a chance to have a normal offseason in a couple of years — and this past summer would be different.
We can only take his word for it for now, but there is a chance Harden could bounce back and earn his 11th All-Star nod during his first full season in Philly.
Joel Embiid
After being named the NBA's second-most valuable player for the second-straight season, Embiid finds himself behind three players this offseason on ESPN's Top 100.
"After years of having to make up for the deficiencies of a flawed roster around him, this season is the first time Embiid will be surrounded by a team built to optimize his strengths. That will only increase Embiid's chances of claiming that elusive MVP award and leading Philadelphia to the deep playoff run missing from his résumé. If those things happen, he could vault to the top of this list."
Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic landed in front of Embiid. Following Doncic is the back-to-back MVP winner Nikola Jokic, with the always-dominant Giannis Antetokounmpo taking the top spot.
It seems Embiid's lack of significant accolades will continue to keep him away from the top spot on these lists. As the Sixers' big man continues to expand his game and grow his dominance, more question marks always pop up.
The good news for Embiid is that he's going into the new league year after a normal offseason. With all of the distractions from last year in the past, Embiid can focus on Philly's upgraded roster and build chemistry with the guys who bought into the 2022-2023 Sixers.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
