Joel Embiid, Sixers ranked 4th in Eastern Conference Power Rankings
Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers figure to be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference again in the 2021-22 season as they get set to continue on their path for a title.
Embiid is flanked by Ben Simmons as well as some solid role players who understand what they have to do to help the team succeed. That led to the team earning the No. 1 seed in the East entering the 2021 playoffs and they were one of the top teams all season.
They figure to be amongst the top of the East again in this upcoming season despite the constant trade rumors surrounding Simmons. Per nba.com’s Eastern Conference Power Rankings, the Sixers are ranked fourth behind the Atlanta Hawks who were ranked third:
We’re less than five weeks from the start of training camp, and Simmons remains a Sixer. From a pure basketball perspective, we know that — if certain feelings are put aside — this current group is one of the league’s best teams. The starting lineup was dominant last season, but lost Green (they scored a ridiculous 132.6 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor in the playoffs) in the first few minutes of Game 3 of the conference semis. In the regular season, the Sixers outscored their opponents by 15.5 points per 100 possessions with Simmons and Embiid both on the floor. That was the fifth best mark among 154 two-man combinations that played at least 1,000 minutes together.
But can the Sixers really put the end to last season behind them if no trade is made between now and Sept. 28? Can Simmons block out the noise until his situation is settled? This team remains fascinating, with both a high ceiling and a low floor (given the talent).
The Sixers are going to be one of the top teams regardless of what is going on with Simmons and that is what is going to make this team interesting all season. There are going to be questions that both Simmons and the Sixers are going to have to answer, but having Embiid there is going to ensure that they will be in the mix all throughout the season.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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