Ranking the 10 best Big 3s in the 2023-24 NBA season
PHILADELPHIA, PA – JANUARY 10: Joel Embiid #21, James Harden #1, and Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers look on against the Detroit Pistons at the Wells Fargo Center on January 10, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
7. Philadelphia 76ers: Joel Embiid, James Harden, Tyrese Maxey
The Philadelphia 76ers’ Big 3 could be disassembled by the time this gets published – that’s how combustible the situation is right now in the City of Brotherly Love. Still, it’s an elite trio.
The alpha of this group is the reigning MVP, Joel Embiid. Whether he deserved to win the award last year or benefited from Nikoka Jokic voting fatigue, Embiid is one of the two best players in the NBA. Any Big 3 with him in it is automatically elite regardless of the other two players filling out the trio.
A quick recap of his numbers last year, just to remind folks of Embiid’s dominance: 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game on 54.8 percent shooting from the field. That’ll do.
James Harden was brought in to be the sidekick and that seemed like a good pairing at first. Embiid and Harden were like yin and yang, leading the league in scoring and assists, respectively, last season.
Of course, that dynamic shifted this offseason when Harden eviscerated president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and vowed to never be part of an organization Morey is involved with. Technically, he still is, as talks to trade away Harden haven’t resulted in a deal. Meanwhile, it’s unclear when – or if – Harden will rejoin the team, leaving one of the NBA’s best assists men in no man’s land.
Should Harden not show up, that will just mean a bigger role for rising star Tyrese Maxey. Mad Maxey looked like a player ready to take on the role of secondary scorer during his third season in Philadelphia, averaging 20.3 points per game while hitting 43.4 percent of his threes.
Maxey suffered from back spasms during the preseason, but it doesn’t seem likely to be a major concern going forward.
The bigger concern is Harden and whether or not he will make an appearance for this team in 2023-24. The Sixers arguably still have a Big 3 if Harden slides out and Tobias Harris slides in – not counting what Philadelphia pulls in a trade – but it probably won’t be as good.