Following another premature playoff exit, the Sixers clearly prioritized depth when restocking. They now enter the upcoming season as a legitimate finals contenders and one of the top 3 teams in the Eastern Conference. Obviously, to come to this conclusion you have to look at the team’s ratings on a video game, because what is more accurate than that?
The Sixers will likely be one of the most commonly used teams in the game. This is a rather recent development, considering how my goal in franchise mode to acquire at least half of the picks in the 1st round of the draft when using the Sixers. Remember when the best player on our team in 2K was Nerlens Noel? Kinda crazy. Now the team is led by Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons who have strong ratings at 91 and 87 overall.
Anyway, you’re here for the team analysis to plan how you’ll beat your opponent online whose blasting Six9ine through their mic. So, let’s get to it.
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Player Ratings (As of Launch)
Joel Embiid- 91
Ben Simmons- 87
Tobias Harris- 85
Al Horford- 85
Josh Richardson- 80
Mike Scott- 75
Kyle O’Quinn- 74
Trey Burke- 74
Jonah Bolden- 73
James Ennis- 73
Furkan Korkmaz- 73
Raul Neto- 72
Zhaire Smith- 72
Matisse Thybulle- 72
Shake Milton- 71
Most Overrated
It was tough to find who on your favorite team is being overrated, but I think this label has to go to Furkan Korkmaz. While Furkan has a stellar B+ 3PT shot, the rest of his game is mediocre at best. To also compare this to the likes of Zhaire Smith and Matisse Thybulle, at lower overalls brings more questions. I’m still not even sure if he makes the team.
There’s a strong chance that Zhaire, Thybulle or even Shake Milton could have a higher 2K overall than Furkan come mid November.
Most Underrated
Josh Richardson is a player who came to Philly without much fanfare following the Jimmy Butler sign and trade. As I studied his game, he shows to be a strong 3&D player who will be far from a weak link in the starting 5. Despite having A- ratings at inside scoring, mid-range, and perimeter defense with a B+ 3PT, Richardson was given an 80 overall rating which I think is a bit low. We’ll see how he performs at the beginning of the season, but there’s always a chance his rating can be increased.
I’d take the over on that.
Top Attribute Grades
Inside Scoring: Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, and Al Horford (A+)
Mid-Range Scoring: Al Horford and Tobias Harris (A+)
3 Point Scoring: Tobias Harris, Al Horford, and Mike Scott (A+)
Inside Defense: Joel Embiid and Al Horford (A+)
Perimeter Defense: Josh Richardson, Ben Simmons, and Matisse Thybulle (A-)
Playmaking: Ben Simmons (A)
Rebounding: Joel Embiid (A)
Physicals (Athleticism): Ben Simmons (A)
IQ: Ben Simmons and Al Horford (A)
Potential (Highest Development): Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid (A+)
Lowest Attribute Grades
Inside Scoring: Matisse Thybulle and Jonah Bolden (C+)
Mid-Range Scoring: Ben Simmons (D-)
3 Point Scoring: Ben Simmons (F)
Inside Defense: Shake Milton (F)
Perimeter Defense: Kyle O’Quinn (F)
Playmaking: Joel Embiid, Kyle O’Quinn, and Mike Scott (D-)
Rebounding: Trey Burke (F)
Physicals (Athleticism): Mike Scott (D)- (Rating pending after recent incidents)
IQ: Zhaire Smith (D)
Potential: Raul Neto (B-)
Team Strengths
The Sixers are one of the top teams in the league and did a good job this season of improving their depth, an area in which they sorely lacked last season. Elton Brand added play-makers off the bench and brought in Al Horford to ease the load on Joel Embiid. The Sixers are at their most vulnerable with Embiid off the court, both in real life and MyPlayer neighborhood life, so Horford’s addition cannot be understated in terms of value.
The defense should absolutely be improved in the second unit with the new addition of Kyle O’Quinn as well as re-signing Mike Scott and James Ennis. Thybulle and Smith should be strong 3&D assets off the bench as well.
Team Weaknesses
With Ben Simmons leading the offense, a concern I have is who can lead the offense off the bench? The defensive woes have definitely been fixed but questions loom over the offensive utility of the second unit. Trey Burke showed a lot of comeback potential with the Knicks and can perhaps surprise, but we’ll have to wait and see. Besides that, the Sixers don’t have a lot of weaknesses and are surely contenders.
Just be thankful that Bayless is no longer on contract for franchise mode. He’s free to read the New York Times as much as his heart desires.