INDIANAPOLIS — How many NBA All-Stars do the 76ers deserve?
One? Two? Three?
All-Star voting began Thursday, and the NBA and NBPA are talking about having an All-Star Game on March 7 in Atlanta, according to sources. With the Sixers having the Eastern Conference’s best record (14-6), how many players from Philly will be selected for the game?
Center and MVP candidate Joel Embiid is in. Team “facilitator” Ben Simmons’ scoring is down. Yet, the Sixers say his overall contribution and offensive and defensive versatility should get him a spot. Forward Tobias Harris is in the midst of his second-highest scoring average season and is shooting a career best on three-pointers. He’s been the Robin to Embiid’s Batman when it comes to offensive production.
“All three should be on,” Doc Rivers said. “That would be my case.”
Adds Embiid: “Obviously, being first in the East also helps. I can’t really see three All-Stars. But we’re winning. We are doing it as a group. And we all deserve a chance.”
Having three All-Stars from one team isn’t impossible.
The Golden State Warriors, in 2019, were the last squad to have three. They had four All-Stars in 2018 and three in both the 2017 and 2016 games. There have been numerous NBA All-Star trios playing for the same team since 1976 ABA-NBA merger. The Sixers did it four times. The last time was 1987 with Charles Barkley, Mo Cheeks, and Julius Erving. Philly even had an NBA All-Star quartet in 1983 with Cheeks, Erving, Moses Malone, and Andrew Toney.
So having three All-Stars wouldn’t be an unprecedented feat.
A big difference is that Barkley, Erving, and Malone were all voted among the 50 greatest players in NBA history in 1996. Erving and Malone were definitely annual All-Star participants in their prime and Barkley was well on his way, with his first of 11 eventual selections. Like Barkley, Erving, and Malone, Cheeks is a Hall of Famer. He just lived in their shadows.
This season, Embiid is the only unquestioned Sixers All-Star.
Simmons was an All-Star the past two seasons. And was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive first team and third-team All-NBA selection last season.
While he’s elevated his play recently, Simmons is averaging a career-low 12.9 points to go with 8.3 assists, 7.9 assists, and 1.7 steals. His scoring average is 3.2 points below his career average. Simmons was recognized as a point guard in each of the past three seasons. However, Rivers refers to him as the “facilitator” due to his multifaceted role. He lines up at the guard, forward, and center positions for the good of the team. Simmons doesn’t always have the ball in his hands even though he’s dubbed the “facilitator.” Having less touches and the additions of Seth Curry, Danny Green, and Tyrese Maxey have had some impact on his scoring.
But at the same time, he hasn’t stepped out of his utility role and been more aggressive on nights Embiid doesn’t play.
As a two-time All-Star, however, Simmons deserves the benefit of the doubt.
Harris, however, is playing at an All-Star level.
He’s averaging 19.9 points and shooting career highs in overall field-goal (51.4) and three-point (46.8) percentages. On Wednesday, Harris buried a 15-footer with 3 seconds left to give the Sixers a 107-106 victory over the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers. He’s also shown improvement on the defensive end.
”Me, for myself, I’ve always just been about winning and letting that handle itself,” he said. “But I have been playing at an All-Star level every now and then. I want to always move on. But in the past, I’ve had a couple of times where I felt like I should have been there and didn’t make it.
“So that would be my little pitch.”
Embiid has expressed at least on two separate occasions that Harris should be an All-Star. He even wrote it on Twitter.
“He deserves it,” Embiid said following Friday’s road victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. “He’s been consistent all year. You know, at times, he’s carried us. He’s done a fantastic job of leading us the whole season. He’s just been amazing.”
On paper, the Sixers may have a tough time getting all three players selected.
One has to assume that Embiid, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and James Harden will be four of the five starters from the Eastern Conference. Bradley Beal, Trae Young, and Jaylen Brown are among the leading candidates to get that final starting spot.
The two who don’t get it will surely make up two of the seven reserve spots. Bam Adebayo, Jayson Tatum, Khris Middleton, Kyle Lowry, Collin Sexton, Kyrie Irving, Domantas Sabonis, and Andre Drummond are other candidates who will be considered for reserve spots.
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January 31, 2021 at 05:02PM
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How many Sixers deserve to be All-Stars this season? Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris are up for debate. - The Philadelphia Inquirer
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