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The Philadelphia 76ers have taken a big step forward by landing free agent forward Paul George and getting him to agree to a four-year contract worth $212 million.
George, a 34-year-old nine-time All-Star, will give them one of the NBA’s most star-studded teams, as he will be joining 2022-23 league MVP Joel Embiid and star guard Tyrese Maxey.
The question now is whether the 76ers can successfully challenge the Boston Celtics, the reigning world champs, or at least the rising New York Knicks.
ESPN’s Marc Spears appears confident Philly can at least leapfrog the Knicks, as he said Philly has three players who are better than any of New York’s players.
ESPN’s Marc Spears says that the 76ers have 3 players better than anyone on the Knicks.
Jalen Brunson averaged 36 PPG and 9 AST in a playoff series win over Philadelphia less than 2 months ago. pic.twitter.com/uT7wpEqfF7
— KnicksMuse (@KnicksMuse) July 2, 2024
Speears’ claim will appear dubious to many, as the Knicks’ Jalen Brunson has emerged as a major power in the league over the last couple of seasons.
Brunson averaged 28.7 points and 6.7 assists a game this past season, and in the playoffs, the guard scored at least 40 points five times in 13 games.
Meanwhile, Maxey was at 25.9 points and 6.2 assists a game during the 2023-24 season.
The big concern for the Sixers is the injury histories of both George and Embiid, who have had trouble staying healthy for years.
Embiid missed 43 games this past season because of a knee injury, while George has appeared in over 56 games just once in the last five seasons.
But if Philly does stay healthy, there is no doubt they appear to have a championship-caliber roster, especially after they also signed veteran guard Eric Gordon and center Andre Drummond.
The race for Eastern Conference supremacy could be frantic and exciting next season.
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