NBA: Ranking the 9 contenders with the best shot to win the 2019-20 title

3. Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers had one of the stranger offseasons out of the teams on this list but if things work out, they could be the favorites in the Eastern Conference.

At this point, it’s clear that this team is going to live and die by its starting five which will consist of Ben Simmons, Josh Richardson, Tobias Harris, Al Horford, and Joel Embiid.

The first thing that comes into my mind when I see that lineup is size, length, and defense. Harris is the worst defender of the lot but he is at least serviceable and he has decent size and length for a small forward. You could make the case that Simmons and Richardson can be the best defensive backcourt in the league and you could make an even more compelling argument for Horford and Embiid being the best defensive frontcourt in the league.

The point is that this team should have one of the best  – if not the best – defenses in the NBA next year.

On offense, it may take some time for Philly to figure things out but Ben Simmons’ evolution on that end could go a long way towards speeding up that process. We’ve all seen the footage of Simmons draining long-range jumpers in scrimmages. Now we’ll have to see if he can carry that into the NBA season.

If he can, that could be the key in determining who holds the edge between the Bucks and the Sixers in the fight for Eastern Conference supremacy.