PHILADELPHIA — The question has followed the 76ers for three years, and for each game Joel Embiid fails to keep his conditioning issues under control and Ben Simmons keeps his 3-point shot tucked into his designer shorts, the franchise is no closer to an answer: Can Philly win a championship with both All-Stars on the roster?
The doubt seems almost inconceivable given the talent possessed by the 24-year-old Simmons and 26-year-old Embiid and — certainly, at times — the pair have shown flashes of championship credentials.
Yet the well ran dry in the Brett Brown era and Sam Hinkie and Bryan Colangelo failed to crack the championship code, leading to one of the biggest overhauls yet under Josh Harris and David Blitzer's ownership.