The Philadelphia 76ers have been turning plenty of heads early this season because of the amount of success they’ve been having. It’s been a while since the Sixers looked respectable on the court, but thanks to the one-two punch of center Joe Embiid and point guard Ben Simmons, Philly has quickly transformed into a team that can no longer be taken lightly by opponents.

With an 11-7 record, the Sixers are fifth in the Eastern Conference, even higher than other teams expected to contend for the conference title such as the Washington Wizards, whom Philadelphia will face this coming Wednesday.

That said, the Wizards' Markieff Morris is looking forward to the matchup but is also wary of what the two Sixers youngsters are capable of doing on the court.

Speaking to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports, Morris even compared the duo to the tandem of Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway with the Orlando Magic back in the 1990s.

“I think Embiid and Ben Simmons can be like Penny and Shaq,” Morris said.

Comparisons to all-time greats are always going to come for Embiid and Simmons, as both are showing their immense potential early in their careers. O’Neal used to be an unstoppable and agile big man who wreaked havoc on a nightly basis, while Hardaway was then the rare tall court general, who gave opponents mismatch problems. Embiid and Simmons seem to have those qualities and will have a lot of time to polish and improve them.

Markieff Morris, if anything, could be sending out a warning to the rest of the league. The Sixers have laid the foundation of their future success, and if Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons continue their progress, Philly could rule the league in the not so distant future.