NBA: Predicting the next 5 championship teams
By Colin Cann
2023 NBA Champions: Philadelphia 76ers
Finals MVP: Ben Simmons
A decade after it began, the process will finally culminate in a championship for the Philadelphia 76ers. Ben Simmons, playing in all 82 games and Joel Embiid suiting up for a career-high 77 games, cap off a season in which they average nearly 50-25 -15 combined with a terrific playoff run, including a legendary 7-game series with the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals.
At this point in the theoretical future, the NBA landscape will be unrecognizable. Most current contracts will be up, any star could be anywhere by this point, but the 76ers have done a good job retaining their assets.
The young big man duo entering their primes capture their first title, and Philadelphia’s first title in 40 years. Markelle Fultz never fully rediscovered his lost shooting stroke from downtown, but his quickness, craftiness, and court vision make him a perfect floor general when Simmons needs a rest.
He dominates the opposing bench on route to a team-high 16.0 net rating and garners series consideration for Finals MVP. In the end, it goes to the Aussie, who averaged a near triple-double while putting up 25 points per game.
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Embiid averages 22 points and 14 rebounds in the NBA Finals, along with four blocks. After being left out of the conversation for Finals MVP, he leaves the team, breaking up a potential dynasty before it has a chance to start. Leaving the 2024 championship up for grabs with no clear-cut front-runner.