Nets NBA Cup Group Preview: 76ers

The Brooklyn Nets have the Philadelphia 76ers in their Emirates NBA Cup group this season.

Apr 14, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) drives against Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas (24) during the third quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports | Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The Brooklyn Nets will have the chance to battle against one of their top division rivals in this year's Emirates NBA Cup.

The Philadelphia 76ers are one of the four teams alongside the Nets in the Eastern Conference's Group A, and they will come into the season with a different structure than the year before.

The team underwent massive changes this offseason, signing Paul George to a four-year max extension. He, Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid are expected to form one of the more dangerous trios in the game, and they should provide quite the test for the Nets early in the season.

They have also added Eric Gordon and Caleb Martin to boost the team's depth after pretty much starting over from scratch earlier this offseason.

Last year, the 76ers' main issue was health. Joel Embiid missed half the season and the team had a night-and-day difference when he was out there vs. when he wasn't. If Philly is healthy, it is a top three team in the East.

For a team trying to figure out how to play with one another, that opens up the opportunity for the Nets to play spoiler early in the tournament. Brooklyn won't be facing Philadelphia's peak squad, so the team should try to take advantage of that. The NBA Cup is the perfect opportunity for the Nets to build some confidence, and they can do that by being a wakeup call for the Sixers early in the year.

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