Philadelphia 76ers playing peak basketball at the right time

On their second seven-game winning streak of the season, the Philadelphia 76ers are peaking at the right time. Oh, and Markelle Fultz is back!

The Philadelphia 76ers are on a roll. They are currently in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with their playoff spot already clinched. They have won seven games in a row and own a 43-30 record, just one game behind the Cleveland Cavaliers for third place in the East.

The Process is in full effect and the results are starting to show themselves as the Sixers are currently one of the hottest teams in the East. Rookie point forward Ben Simmons leads the way with big man Joel Embiid in tow. The duo has put together its fair share of masterful performances for an up-and-coming squad in the NBA.

Simmons is averaging 15.8 points, 8.0 assists, 8.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game, while Embiid is averaging 23.2 points, 11.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.8 blocks per contest. While Simmons has led all rookies with 10 triple-doubles this season, Embiid is slowly becoming a model of consistency. He’s got 38 double-doubles in 62 appearances this season, but if you’ve been paying attention, the best is yet to come.

To make it even sweeter, rookie guard Markelle Fultz made his return to the hardwood after a 68-game hiatus to deal with a nagging shoulder injury. Fultz didn’t show any ill effects of his shoulder injury on Monday night in his return against the Denver Nuggets. He finished the game with 10 points, eight assists and four rebounds as the Sixers got the 123-104 victory.

Philly brimming with potential

The Philadelphia 76ers are showing the makeup of a team that can play spoiler in this year’s NBA Playoffs. They’ve got a Rookie of the Year candidate in Ben Simmons. Then there’s All-NBA performer Joel Embiid, flanked by sharpshooters J.J. Redick and Robert Covington.

Something that hasn’t been talked about quite as much has been the addition of Marco Belinelli as well. Belinelli is averaging 11.9 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game so far off the bench for the Sixers. Add in the return of Markelle Fultz and head coach Brett Brown could come out of this year’s playoffs looking like somewhat of a genius.

Now, all the pieces would need to fall in place for the Philadelphia 76ers to make it all the way to the NBA Finals, but stranger things have happened. With Fultz returning to his first action since Oct. 23, Philadelphia can consider this season a success but it clearly has more than just making the playoffs on its mind.

The potential for the Sixers is certainly there. They’ve got versatility in Simmons, Embiid and Ersan Ilyasova. The 3-point shooters are there in Redick, Covington and Fultz, among others. Then there’s the recently discovered depth that they’ve benefited from. Brett Brown was able to play a 10-man rotation for a reasonable amount of minutes against the Nuggets on Monday night. Not every team in the NBA can make that proclamation.

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As the 2018 NBA Playoffs are right around the corner, one thing’s for sure: The Philadelphia 76ers aren’t a team you want to face in the first round. They are firing on all cylinders and will only get better with more experience.