The Philadelphia 76ers will only restart the season as the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference, but they have the talent to win this year’s NBA title.
No one will consider the Philadelphia 76ers as the favorites to win the NBA championship once the season restarts. That doesn’t mean they should be written off as legitimate title contenders though. Any group with this much talent has a chance to develop into a force to be reckoned with in the postseason.
Admittedly, all of the pieces didn’t fit for the 76ers before the season was put on hold. There’s a reason why the team currently resides as the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference. In particular, Ben Simmons’ inability to hit a perimeter jump shot can bog down Philadelphia’s offense.
On the other hand, putting he and Joel Embiid in the same starting five gives head coach Brett Brown a ton of talent to work with. Their presence should be enough to concern any team that runs up against Philly in the playoffs. The following five reasons provide even more credence to the idea that the 76ers can get hot enough to win the 2020 NBA championship.
5. Matisse Thybulle can lock down the perimeter
The Sixers are going to run up against talented point guards all throughout the postseason. It will be imperative for Philadelphia to clamp down on those talented perimeter players.
Matisse Thybulle may only be a rookie, but he’s got the defensive chops to turn a game in Philly’s favor. He’s an absolute bulldog as an on-ball defender. He shouldn’t be playing 40 minutes per night in the postseason, but he could make a real impact as a high-energy defender off the bench.
Thybulle is just the sort of long, physical defender that can take a star guard out of his rhythm in a tough series. He won’t make headlines for the 76ers to start any series, but he could turn into a key performer against tons of potential opponents.