Never one for hyperbole, when Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens told reporters that the Philadelphia 76ers may have the most talented team in the league, there were many that raised an eyebrow.
The Los Angeles Clippers have Kawhi Leonard and Paul George being flanked by Lou Williams on a team with great depth.
The Los Angeles Lakers have LeBron James and Anthony Davis flanked by Kyle Kuzma on a team with solid depth.
The Houston Rockets have James Harden and Russell Westbrook — two former MVPs —leading Eric Gordon.
Yet, Stevens may have a point.
Like the aforementioned teams (as well as a couple that went unnamed), Philadelphia is led by two perennial All-Stars. Like the Clippers, these two players — Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid — are known as much for their defensive prowess as their offensive capabilities.
However, where the aforementioned teams only had one or two other notable playmakers in their rotation outside of their Dynamic Duos, the Sixers have several.
Aside from Simmons and Embiid, Philadelphia will have shooting guard Josh Richardson, forward Tobias Harris and big man Al Horford in the starting lineup, giving the 76ers what very well could be the best starting lineup in the NBA.
Their weakness will be their bench but not due to talent, just inexperience; by the end of the season, their defensive-minded second unit may come into the game and lock up opposing teams until the starters re-enter the game. Yet, with so much talent in the starting lineup, Philly can always have an All-Star caliber player on the court.
On paper, they do have what is arguably the most talented roster in the league.
How do they match up with the Celtics?
The Celtics find themselves in a similar position but while Jayson Tatum is expected to breakout for an All-Star season soon, he’s not yet an All-Star. He’s more on the level of Lou Will and Kyle Kuzma than George or Davis.
Nonetheless, Boston’s wings — Tatum and Jaylen Brown — match up well with Philadelphia’s duo of Harris and Richardson, even though the Sixers could cross-match and choose to have Richardson defend Kemba Walker.
The athletic Richardson would undoubtedly fare better than J.J. Redick did in guarding Walker last season as he’s worlds away a better defender than Redick. Meanwhile, Simmons could effectively guard Brown with his size and athleticism.
To that point, the Sixers would likely switch 1-3 at any point in time without any major concerns, which most teams can’t say. Including the Celtics.
Looking at their big men, there isn’t a center on the roster that can stop Embiid down low (although Vincent Poirier in particular may be able to make the superstar big man work for his point) but the matchup between Horford and Gordon Hayward is interesting, particularly if Hayward is explosive off-the-bounce.
Yet, Boston is likely to be crushed on the glass because Philadelphia is a much bigger team.
In a game where the bench could be an x-factor, rookie point guard Carsen Edwards — the most explosive scorer on either bench — becomes an x-factor as well. That puts rookie shooting Romeo Langford, a natural playmaker, in a similar position when he returns to the court.
In sum, the Celtics are unlikely to best the Sixers in a seven-game series but they’ll be able to defeat Philadelphia at some point this season. Maybe even in the season opener.
