It seems like a year doesn’t go by unless the Philadelphia 76ers are tangled up in some sort of off-season drama.
With Ben Simmons no longer the focal point of criticism and rumors, the Sixers enter this year with James Harden wanting to be traded and Joel Embiid ‘joking’ about the possibility of leaving.
This makes it quite hard to consider them serious NBA championship contenders, as it seems like there’s always something else going on, and they just can’t seem to get over the hump.
So, when asked who of Embiid, Trae Young, and Jalen Brunson would win a title first, Stephen A. Smith of ESPN didn’t hesitate to predict that the Knicks would be the first to get a ring.
Who will win a championship first?
— First Take (@FirstTake) July 26, 2023
Smith talked about Embiid crying after Kawhi Leonard’s game-winning shot in Toronto in 2019 and then simply dismissed the Hawks as championship contenders in the foreseeable future.
Granted he’s a Knicks fan, so maybe he’s slightly biased in terms of them being in a better position to win a title, but his assessment isn’t that far-fetched.
Embiid’s character aside, the Sixers just can’t get past the second round of the playoffs.
The Knicks haven’t exactly been on the same tier, but they’ve shown steady signs of improvement on a year-to-year basis, and they have enough assets to keep adding talent to that roster.
As for the Sixers, they may not be able to surround Embiid with the talent he needs to get the job done.
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