Max Kellerman believes Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons elite duo in the NBA
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The Philadelphia 76ers are at the top of the Eastern Conference and they are led by two talented players, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. The two are consistent All-Stars, and they consistently receive a lot of criticism for coming up short in the playoffs.
However, in the 2020-21 season, there really has not been much to complain about. Embiid is playing at an MVP level while Simmons is contributing all over the floor while being constantly stellar on the defensive end. He has shut down Damian Lillard, James Harden and Luka Doncic and his combination with Embiid has been terrific on the defensive end.
On ESPN’s “First Take” on Friday, Max Kellerman built a case for Embiid and Simmons to be one of the elite duos in the league:
Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons have become an elite duo. How many duos are better than them in the league?… I might put Embiid and Simmons as the third best duo in the league, so that’s elite to me.
Kellerman then went into what the two of them offer on both the offensive and defensive end of the floor. He added:
Embiid right now, if the season ended right now, he’s the MVP. He’s been the best offensive player, the best defensive player, the team is leading the conference, but here’s the thing about Ben Simmons people are sleeping on, has created more open looks from 3 since he got in the league than any other player. If you look at what he’s been doing offensively last I don’t know 8-10 games, he has been an elite player. No he doesn’t shoot, but he’s been an elite offensive player. Incredibly efficient, setting up teammates, scoring, doing whatever he needs to do, and that’s only half the story with Simmons. Simmons is like a shutdown corner. You see when they played Portland, when he was on Lillard, Lillard is not Lillard. When he was on Doncic last night, Doncic was getting nothing. When Lillard and Doncic were guarded by anyone else, they were themselves, but when Simmons was on them, they were less than ordinary. They weren’t good offensive players. That is two absolutely elite defenders maybe one and two in the league right now, and on offense they’re a juggernaut that’s elite.
.@maxkellerman considers Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons a better duo than:
🔸 Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum
🔸 Devin Booker and Chris Paul
🔸 Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray pic.twitter.com/WUMncxp7wz
— First Take (@FirstTake) February 26, 2021
The important part for Embiid and Simmons now is to keep going and to not settle. This is an opportunity for the two of them to lead the Sixers to a title in 2021. Now they just have to be able to find the consistency needed to get it done this season.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
