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The Sixers have a bona fide big three. How do they match up across the league?

Keith Pompey, The Philadelphia Inquirer on

Published in Basketball

PHILADELPHIA — Has the 76ers’ trio of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George become the NBA’s best big three?

You can make the argument. But three questions need to be answered before a definitive answer can be established. Will Embiid remain healthy? How much has the 34-year-old George declined? And will Maxey continue to raise his ceiling?

So the Sixers have three big subjects to address that don’t plague some of the league’s other big trios. But on paper the Sixers have all the tools to be the best.

Embiid, George, and Maxey are all coming off All-Star seasons. That’s why, even with the unknowns, they’re comparable to any big three in the league.

Some will argue the best trio could be the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton, if they all stay healthy. The problem is, Middleton has lost a step, taking them out of contention. Plus, Lillard is a liability on the defensive end.

You know what you’ll get talent-wise out of the Phoenix Suns’ Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. It’s just a matter of new Suns coach Mike Budenholzer helping them mesh better than former coach Frank Vogel could.

 

The New York Knicks have a big four of sorts with Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby, but the latter is just a solid player, not an All-Star.

The Sixers, Suns and Bucks trios are made up of players with multiple All-Star berths. The same applies to the Minnesota Timberwolves’ big three of Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert. Gobert is the defensive player of the year.

Edwards, a second-team All-NBA selection, is one of the league’s up-and-coming stars. And Towns is one of the league’s best shooting big men. So an argument can be made for the Timberwolves trio. However, Towns and Gobert are essentially both centers. Towns simply plays at power forward, which enables them to share the floor.

Some may throw the Dallas Mavericks into the conversation.

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