Philadelphia 76ers
X-factor: (healthy) Ben Simmons
When we last left off with the Philadelphia 76ers, Ben Simmons was injured and was set to likely miss the remainder of the season. After more than four months off, the expectation is that Simmons is 100 percent healthy and will be at the forefront of the Sixers’ run when the season restarts.
If he is 100 percent healthy, he could very well be the difference between an early playoff exit and a deep playoff run for the Sixers. On paper, there might not be a team in the Eastern Conference with more raw, overall talent. That’s never been a problem for the Sixers. Putting it all together has been.
If Simmons is healthy and is ready to be the centerpiece for the team, the Sixers could emerge as truly the most dangerous threat to the Bucks from winning the conference. However, that is one big if. In fact, it’s often been the biggest reason why the Sixers have continuously fallen short of expectations over the last few seasons.