3 rivals Toronto Raptors fans can laugh at due to chaotic starts
By Mike Luciano
2. Philadelphia 76ers
If the season ended today, the mighty 76ers would be in the lottery, as their 7-7 record stands as a testament to what has been a very uneven and rocky road. With their hypothetical first-round pick not in their possession, things are starting to get very gnarly around Joel Embiid.
While Embiid and Tyrese Maxey have been excellent, James Harden remains sidelined due to an injury and Tobias Harris is doing a fantastic job of making his contract look worse by the day. With a bench that rivals Toronto’s in the lack of depth on display, this year hasn’t gone to plan for Daryl Morey.
The Toronto Raptors are surprisingly above the 76ers.
One of the more concerning aspects of this season is the fact that Doc Rivers’ job security has all but eroded. Fans have been upset with him for some time, and another early playoff exit could lead Morey to hand him his pink slip. Toronto should be thrilled about these potential developments.
While the Embiid and Maxey factors give the 76ers a higher ceiling in the short term, the Raptors have shown that the current iteration of this team can hang with Philly when the chips are down. This will be a tough squad to overtake, but this year has shown they are by no means impregnable.