Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons has no shortage of confidence in himself and his team. He sincerely believes that he will come away with the Defensive Player of the Year Award and that the Sixers can win a ring this season.

According to Simmons, the three things that have contributed to the Sixers' strong form are their improved team chemistry, veteran presence, and the arrival of head coach Doc Rivers.  

At the start of the season, the Sixers' had a new look, as president of basketball operations, Daryl Morey got to work right away. He added much-needed spacing in the form of Danny Green and Seth Curry for a team, whose two best players – Simmons and Joel Embiid do their best work inside the paint.

New acquisition Dwight Howard lets Embiid have a breather and does a solid job when the Cameroonian is unavailable for games. Howard provides rim protection, rebounding, and a big lob target for guys like Simmons.  

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Rivers has been the subject of countless memes. Especially after his last team the Los Angeles Clippers blew a 3-1 lead to the Denver Nuggets and did not even reach the Western Conference Finals. Philadelphia's top rank in the Eastern Conference and 37-17 record are proving that he is still one of the better coaches around.

Forward Tobias Harris is playing some of his best basketball in a Sixers uniform, which could be partly attributed to Rivers since he played his most efficient basketball under him in Los Angeles.

For all these reasons and more the Sixers have a shot at hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy this year.