Stephen A. Smith declared, “The Philadelphia 76ers can win the East this season,” following Joel Embiid and company’s thrilling 126-121 victory over the defending champion Denver Nuggets. Joel Embiid, the MVP in the defending game, won’t be the only player leading them to victory in the Eastern Conference. On Tuesday night, he recorded an impressive double-double with 41 points and 10 assists. It also won’t be entirely attributable to Tyrese Maxey, who stepped in as the team’s primary point guard after James Harden left.
In the most recent episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show, SAS said that Tobias Harris will be the key component that takes Philadelphia to the Conference Finals, even though Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey may contribute significantly to their success this season. The efforts of the 31-year-old have allowed the Sixers to occupy the third-best slot in the East at the moment.
More evidence of this was shown by their most recent triumph over the Nuggets. When the Sixers were down five points in the fourth quarter and Embiid was sitting on the sidelines, he made clutch shots, making three in a row. He also made all six of his free throws and shot 80% from the field, including 2 of 4 three-pointers. The Sixers forward finished with a game-high plus-13 in 40 minutes, adding to his 24 points, five rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and a steal.
The 76ers are doing everything right this season, according to SAS. They are averaging seven more points per game than they did the previous year and are among the top four defensive teams. Furthermore, Maxey and Embiid have both shown promise. Consequently, “How aggressive is he [Tobias Harris] going to be?” is the one issue that will ultimately determine the team’s success.