76ers Championship Odds Shorten to +700; Does Philadelphia Present Value as Legitimate Title Threat?

• Philadelphia 76ers’ title odds shorten to +700
• Giant Sixers are a matchup nightmare
  
• Can they challenge Milwaukee in the East?

After another busy offseason, the Philadelphia 76ers are among the title contenders as the 2019-20 NBA season approaches.

With the Golden State Warriors no longer the unbeatable force of years past, NBA Championship odds are drastically more interesting this preseason than they have been in recent memory.

Sportsbooks haven’t been confident in Philadelphia as a genuine title threat through most of September, pricing them at +900. With preparations ramping up as the start of the season nears, however, their odds have dropped to +700, the same as James Harden’s Houston Rockets.

2019-20 NBA Championship Odds

*Odds taken 10/08/19

Horford, Richardson Arrivals

The Sixers’ roster has gone through multiple overhauls since the beginning of the 2017/18 campaign. The two headline trades that saw Tobias Harris and Jimmy Butler arrive during last season didn’t have the desired impact, with Philadelphia suffering a heart-breaking, four-bouncing buzzer beater loss to the eventual champion Toronto Raptors in the second round.

The off-season conundrum was solved quickly. Butler left for the sun of Miami, and Elton Brand managed to land Josh Richardson in a sign-and-trade. Harris re-signed with the Sixers, JJ Redick departed for the new-look Pelicans and Embiid’s nemesis, Al Horford, arrived from the Boston Celtics.

Philadelphia lost an elite three-point shooter in Redick and their closer in Butler. In Horford, they found someone to cover at center when Embiid is on the bench, and who can space the floor when he’s on the court with the trash-talking Cameroonian.

Richardson is an excellent defender, good passer and at 6’6” will be the shortest player in the starting five.

The starting five is not just massive, it’s immensely talented. They could have the best defense in the NBA. Without Redick and Butler, shooting and closing games are a concern. Harris needs to take a step forward to be trusted in clutch moments, and the much-discussed issue of Simmons’ jumpshot looms larger than ever.

Depth Issues

A lack of depth haunted the Sixers last season. Their numbers without Embiid on the floor were ugly, particularly in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. Greg Monroe and Boban Marjanovic struggled, but it was not just at center that they had issues. Mike Scott, James Ennis, Furkan Korkmaz, Zhaire Smith and Jonah Bolden all return, while veteran Kyle O’Quinn will get minutes at the five.

First-round draft pick Matisse Thybulle has impressed in early scrimmages, and should boost a backcourt that struggled defensively at times last season. Raul Neto and Trey Burke are competing for the backup point guard job with TJ McConnell no longer on the team, while Shake Milton could get some minutes as well.

The improved defense off the bench is a notable step forward for the Sixers. All too often last season, leads would crumble when Embiid, Butler, Harris and Simmons sat. In Thybulle and Smith in particular, they have players who can be an asset on defense while they develop their offensive games.

Video sit-down with 76ers stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons: Getting over Game 7 loss — motivation/maturing/pressure as foundation of franchise — their relationship (“On court, we want to win. Off court, Jo does his thing, I do my thing”) — and more. pic.twitter.com/xZWFpvdeJL

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 4, 2019

Do They Have Enough Shooting?

Barring a shock shooting breakout from Simmons, the Sixers’ floor spacing is an issue. Horford will draw some defenders, Harris and Richardson are threats from deep, but no one can replicate the impact that Redick had on opposing defences. A combination of Korkmaz (off the back of a good FIBA World Cup), Smith, Ennis and Scott will need to fill that shooting void.

It’s not impossible that the Sixers win the NBA title without Simmons’ shooting jumpers, but it’s very unlikely. He doesn’t need to knock them down at any sort of rate. Philly just need the former first overall pick to start taking them, to at least make defences consider guarding him outside the paint.

Official heights for the Philadelphia 76ers:

Al Horford – 6’9.25”
Ben Simmons – 6’9.5”
Joel Embiid – 6’11.75”

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 5, 2019

Good value at +700?

With the same price as the Rockets, the question is: Do the Sixers have a better chance of winning it all than Houston?

Yes, they do.

Their defense alone could make them a nightmare opponent. On the other side of the ball, they have enough talent to compensate for an imperfect fit. They will find a way to close games.

The Bucks are the main obstacle on their path to the NBA Finals, and if anyone has a defense that can stop Giannis Antetokounmpo, it’s this Sixers team with Embiid, Simmons and Horford.