It’s that time of year again, right? Crush the Nets in five starting this weekend, then get a lethal dose of the Celtics. I mean, tell me why I should believe in this Sixers team.
Well, it’s Joel Embiid season. That’s really all there is to it. You can complicate the Sixers’ outlook on a number of different levels. But the bottom line is as simple as this: Throughout NBA history, the team with the best player in the league is more often than not one of the last teams standing.
Let’s set aside the question of whether Embiid is that player in a definitive sense. I personally think that Giannis Antetokounmpo would be the first overall selection if the league redrafted top to bottom ahead of this year’s playoffs. Steph Curry and LeBron James might get some consideration ahead of Embiid at No. 2. But he’s almost certainly one of a small handful of players who would be in the conversation for those first four or five picks.
