Despite not having Ben Simmons on the floor this season, the Philadelphia 76ers have to be satisfied with their performance. There's a case to be made that Ben Simmons isn't as good for this Sixers team when he's on the court, and that they'd have similar success without him, but at the end of the day, he's still one of the best defenders in the NBA, and having him on the court, despite his offensive struggles, is a plus for the Sixers.
Philadelphia has been able to play rather well this season, as they are presently the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 28-19 record. The reason for that is Joel Embiid is once again playing like an MVP candidate. There's a case to be made that Joel Embiid should have won the MVP last season, but he was sidelined for a period of the season, putting his possibility of winning the award in jeopardy. If Embiid can simply remain healthy, he has an excellent chance of earning the MVP award, and he deserves it.
He's been able to accomplish this without having a true second star on his squad, as Tobias Harris hasn't had the season that many Sixers fans had hoped for, and Ben Simmons has yet to play a game for the team.
Although the Sixers have had a lot of success with Embiid., they've also had some other players who have really risen up for this club and are either going to be extremely strong players in this league one day or are currently solid veterans.
Let's take a look at the Philadelphia Sixers' three most unsung heroes this season.
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Sixers Unsung Heroes
3. Seth Curry
When the Sixers acquired Seth Curry two seasons ago, everyone who followed the team understood it was a fantastic deal. The Sixers are a team that likes to shoot the three-point shot in high volume, and because Embiid will frequently get doubled, their three-point shooter will be wide open. Seth Curry, who is now shooting 41.7 percent from 3-point range in over five tries a game, is perhaps the best catch-and-shoot shooter in the NBA. He's now at a career-high of 15.8 points per game and has really stepped up his scoring game for the Sixers.
Seth Curry is one of those guys who you know exactly what you'll get every night. He goes out there and puts his heart into both sides of the basketball, and when an open shot presents itself, he will most likely hit it. He presently has shooting splits of 50.9/41.7/87.7, indicating that he has a good probability of ending with a 50-40-90 season.
Curry will be someone the Sixers will be looking for in the playoffs because they know he will be there to hit shots and help them put points on the board when things get tough.
2. Andre Drummond
Because Andre Drummond only plays 18.4 minutes each game, it's difficult to call him a Sixers' unsung hero. However, he has been nothing short of impressive in the minutes he has played this season. Despite only playing 18.4 minutes per night, he is averaging 6.2 points per game, 8.7 rebounds, and a top 40 PER in the NBA.
When the Sixers decided to bring him in this offseason, it was another one of those moves that were a great decision from their front office. Unfortunately for Joel Embiid, he has a history of being hurt throughout the season, and while that hasn't been the case this year, which Philadelphia Sixers fans will keep hoping for, Andre Drummond can be a more than capable backup center if he ever does get hurt. Obviously, he won't be able to accomplish what Embiid can, and to be honest, there aren't many guys in the NBA who can. Andre Drummond is exactly what the Sixers need in the playoffs: a guy who can come in for 5 to 10 minutes a night and grab rebounds while playing strong defense around the rim.
1. Tyrese Maxey
Tyrese Maxey is a future star for Sixers fans, and rightfully so, because this kid is going to be very good in a few seasons. Because he is not one of the Sixers' major stars, there isn't much coverage of him in the national media, yet he does so many things right on the court.
He's currently averaging 15.6 points and 4.5 assists per game. He's doing it while shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 41 percent from three-point range. Because of the Ben Simmons scenario, he has certainly seen a much larger role, but this appears to be an even better thing for Philadelphia. Ben Simmons was definitely not the right choice to partner with Joel Embiid, and now they know Tyrese Maxey has the ability to be an All-Star in this league one day.
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