KD, Harden and Kyrie: Where do they rank in NBA’s Big 3s?
3. Philadelphia 76ers: Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris
The Philadelphia 76ers finally look like a coherent basketball team again. Adding Doc Rivers as coach and trading for Seth Curry and Danny Green has allowed the sixers to look like and play like the team we all thought the Sixers could be.
It all obviously starts with Joel “The Process” Embiid, this season will be the best of his career if he continues like he has and is without a doubt an MVP top 3 finalist if the votes were done one month in.
His impact on both ends of the floor has been the driving force of Philadelphia’s dominant start – Embiid is averaging 28.3 points per game while ranking ninth in defensive win shares and fourth in offensive win shares while leading the league in player impact estimate per NBA.com/stats.
The Sixers’ decision to reunite Tobias Harris with Doc Rivers has paid off so far. Hoopshabit’s own Duncan Smith wrote on Harris’s All-Star type season and the biggest standout with Harris this season compared to last is his 3-point percentage.
"“Over the 103 games that Harris has now played for Rivers between their time together with the Clippers and the Sixers, he’s shooting 43.1 percent from 3-point range.”"
Harris has been given a better role, with more room and leeway to create on the perimeter — and it’s paid dividends thus far.
Last but not least is Ben Simmons, the All-NBA and All-Defensive first team “guard” has had a quiet season statistically but his impact has been undeniable.
Simmons averages of 12.9 points per game, 7.9 assists per game, 8.3 rebounds per game and 1.6 steals per game speak to the versatility he brings to the Sixers each night – his combination of defense, size, speed and passing are a part of the reason why Philly rank first in fast break points.
Simmons is one of the only players in the NBA who legitimately defend 1-though-5 and finishes at the ring with center like percentages (59.1 percent within 5ft of the basket per NBA.com.stats) while still being one of the best passers in the NBA.
In the half-court offense Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris shine with spacing and in the full-court Ben Simmons takes over as one of the most dangerous transition players in the NBA – the Sixers rank 12th in Offensive Rating.
On defense, the duo of Simmons and Embiid can lock up the best perimeter player and control the paint with only two players. Which has been the main reason why the Sixers ranking fourth in Defensive Rating.
The Sixers have a great team and trio, but who are the two teams who are ranked above them?