We've only just begun… pic.twitter.com/siA1gKT8HX
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) October 19, 2017
Last year when the Philadelphia 76ers stepped on the court, opposing coaches pretty much knew what to expect. When Joel Embiid was on the floor, his talent combined with the grit and high-effort play of his significantly less talented teammates, made the Sixers a threat to defeat any team in the NBA.
When Embiid was not on the floor, and he joined Ben Simmons on the team of nice-suits-on-the bench, the supporting cast of Jahlil Okafor, Robert Covington, TJ McConnell and Dario Saric would still give a top-notch level of effort, but more talented teams–especially if they matched the Sixers in the effort department–would end up victorious; meanwhile, the Sixers were left with a dreaded moral victory.