Power-ranking the 10 biggest challengers to the Lakers in 2020-21

10. Philadelphia 76ers

There’s no question the Philadelphia 76ers have talent, but a head coaching upgrade won’t fix their main problem, which is poor roster construction. Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are both stars, and the Sixers have fared quite well with those two sharing the court. However, their skill-sets are not exactly complementary, and Philly has done them no favors by surrounding them with non-shooters and aging stars who play the same positions as their franchise players.

Doc Rivers is a tremendous locker room leader and proven head coach. Barring injury, the 76ers have too much talent to not be a good regular-season team. The question is whether that Embiid-Simmons-Tobias Harris-Al Horford-Josh Richardson core can complement each other well enough to make a real playoff run.

Embiid still can’t shoot the 3-ball as well as he thinks. Simmons is unlikely to magically fix his shot while coming off knee surgery. And Horford’s best role remains a mystery, as the Sixers failed to fix their recurring trouble with stopping the bleeding whenever their All-Star big man sits. Because of all this, this is as high as we can realistically place the Sixers until we learn more about the team’s offseason plans and Doc Rivers’ strategy for managing a mismanaged roster.