5 best 'Big 3s' in the NBA this season: 76ers looking to knock off heavyweights

The Philadelphia 76ers were at the forefront of NBA free agency this offseason, inking Paul George to a four-year, $212 million max contract to go alongside their established All-Star duo of Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. The idea of a "Big 3" — combining the powers of three needle-moving megastars on the same team — has waned in recent years. The new CBA makes it more difficult than ever to stockpile expensive star talent. But, the 76ers are going for broke under Daryl Morey, as is his general strategy with contending teams.

Few teams have the same raw talent as Philadelphia. It's fair to wonder how it all meshes, or if everybody can stay healthy long enough to make a deep run. But, on paper, the 76ers are a contender through and through — perhaps the most dangerous team in the entire NBA.

In the latest episode of The Sixer Sense Podcast, we delved into the best of the best around the NBA. We listed and critiqued my personal top-100 player rankings in anticipation of yet another NBA season, which is sure to be full of twists in turns. It also helps us build toward FanSided's NBA99, a collective effort to rank the best players in the association on a rolling basis.

That is coming down the pipeline in October, but for now, you'll have to settle for my individual rankings and, by extension, a look at the best three-man combos in the NBA.

5. Minnesota Timberwolves — Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert

The Minnesota Timberwolves snuck into the Western Conference Finals behind a breakout run from Anthony Edwards. Few expected a Rudy Gobert team to break through on that level, but Minnesota was as real as any contender in the West. A tough conference finals matchup with Dallas spelled their doom, but the Wolves should be right back in the mix this upcoming season.

Minnesota probably has the most unique 'big three' in the league, as both Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns are centers by trade. In a league that was overrun by small-ball with the Stephen Curry Warriors, we are finding fewer and fewer successful twin-towers lineups. Minnesota appears to have the formula down pat, though.

Say what you will about the offense, but Gobert remains a top one percent defender, if not the flat-out best defensive anchor in the NBA. KAT is the ideal skill complement on offense, thriving both in the post or out behind the 3-point line.

Ant, meanwhile, is the wrecking ball who ties it all together — Minnesota's best advantage creator and iso scorer, a late-game maestro with three-level scoring ability and a playmaking eye that will only get sharper with age. Edwards still has stuff to clean up — I'm not willing to fully endorse him as a top-10 megastar — but in terms of melding entertainment value and winning impact, Edwards is a singular force of nature.

4. Denver Nuggets — Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon

The Denver Nuggets' front office deserves all your criticism for its cowardly and cheap management over the past two seasons. After reaching the mountaintop, the Nuggets let Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope walk in consecutive free agent periods. Both were essential to the Nuggets' competitive DNA, and yet both were deemed too expensive for Denver.

With all due respect to Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, and the next wave of talent in Denver's system, there has been a pretty clear dropoff in established talent around Nikola Jokic. That's a shame, but the three-time MVP deserves the full-blown commitment other superstars around the league receive. The small-town Bucks found a way to trade for Damian Lillard. Denver had the means to keep their core in tact, but decided not to.

All the same, Denver still has the best player in the world, which is enough to have more than a puncher's chance at winning another championship. Jamal Murray did receive a new extension from the Nuggets this summer, and Aaron Gordon has proven his worth time and time again as Denver's glue guy supreme.

Jokic is the ultimate basketball thinker, a tide that raises all boats. Murray has developed preternatural chemistry with his 7-foot running mate, scoring out of various dribble-handoff or pick-and-roll sets. Gordon hits 3s, slashes a bit, and catches lobs from the dunker's spot. There aren't many, if any, trios who are more balanced and cohesive. Even if Denver doesn't win the sheer talent battle, chemistry cannot be underrated.

3. Boston Celtics — Jayson Tatum (No. 7), Kristaps Porzingis (No. 28), Derrick White (No. 35)

The Boston Celtics are the reigning NBA champs and have what is pretty definitively the best starting five in basketball, so maybe it's a bit silly to rank them in the No. 3 slot. That said, Jayson Tatum has been through a strange few months, both in the playoffs and during the Olympics with Team USA. He is undoubtedly one of the very best players in the NBA, but when comparing the crème de la crème — superstar to superstar — it's fair to wonder if Tatum rises to the necessary level often enough.

We are splitting hairs at this point. This entire group, especially one through four (with apologies to Minnesota), is pretty airtight. There will be quibbling about which members of Boston's starting five actually belong in the "big three" designation, but Derrick White and Kristaps Porzingis get the nod. Not only because they're ranked the highest on my personal board, but because they best encompass the totality of Boston's unique strengths.

Tatum is one of the most polished scoring wings to reach the NBA in decades. His footwork, mid-range shot-making, and plus athleticism at 6-foot-8 are hard to come by. He's what every team dreams of at the top of draft boards. Moreover, Tatum has become an elite wing defender, an underrated playmaker, and most of the time, a pretty good shooter.

Porzingis anchors the defense with his wide-raning rim protection and unique perimeter mobility. He's not a switch-heavy guy, but Porzingis survives better in space than your standard 7-foot-3 string bean.

White, of course, is the Celtics' most voracious perimeter defender (with the possible exception of Jrue Holiday, forming a completely unfair combo) and he took major strides in the point guard role last season, setting the table for Boston's offense, knocking down clutch 3s, and doing his part to grease the wheels on Joe Mazzulla's dynamic scheme. Both Holiday (No. 39) and Jaylen Brown (No. 43) are top-50, and Boston is the only team with five such players in my estimation. We are talking about the championship favorites here.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams

The Oklahoma City Thunder finished with the No. 1 seed last season as one of the youngest teams in the NBA. Now they're a year older, and Sam Presti has made multiple impact, veteran additions. Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein figure to have a profound impact on what is already the deepest, most balanced group in the West. There's a real chance we're finally talking about OKC as champs a year from now.

It starts, of course, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Once the centerpiece of the Paul George-Clippers trade, SGA is now a bonafide MVP candidate and arguably the most dynamic two-way guard in basketball. His advantage-creation skills are off the charts. Nobody moves quite like Shai. At 6-foot-6, he slips and slides his way to buckets, changing speed and direction on a whim. He doesn't explode past defenders with elite speed. Instead, Gilgeous-Alexander relies on angles and tempo, using unbelievable dexterity and ball-handling creativity to locate fissures in the defense and force his way to the rim.

He is the best rim-pressure guard in the NBA, point blank. So much of stardom comes down to your ability to tilt the defense. Gilgeous-Alexander is constantly collapsing a defense, and there is virtually no real counter to it. He's deadly in the mid-range and comfortable enough behind the 3-point line. Bring a double team, and SGA has the passing chops to locate the open shooter.

Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams are on their own All-Star trajectories. Holmgren arguably should've made the West squad as a rookie. He's bound for an impressive year-two leap, already a singular rim protector whose dribble-pass-shoot ability at 7-foot-1 is perfect for OKC's system. Holmgren can bomb 3s, attack a rotating defense downhill, and connect dots as a sharp processor, all while enveloping the painted area with his 7-foot-6 wingspan on the other end. Williams was not great down the stretch last season, but he's one of the most well-rounded young players in the NBA. From elite wing defense to effective secondary ball-handling and downhill scoring, J-Dub is well on his way to top-20 status in the years to come.

1. Philadelphia 76ers — Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Paul George

Who else? The 76ers are betting on talent trumping continuity this season, a bold bet that Daryl Morey has spent his entire career attempting to cash. The dynamic between Embiid and Maxey is well documented, if still evolving. Last season was Maxey's first in the driver's seat as the starting point guard and primary perimeter star. He more than exceeded expectations, even there were warts along the way.

Embiid is going to be the centerpiece of Philly's offense, as much as ever. He is the greatest per-minute scorer in NBA history and he continues to add new layers to his skill set with each passing season. Once a terrible passer who crumbled under the pressure of double teams, Embiid now cleanly executes as a passing hub on the elbow. When he's not battering mismatches one-on-one, Embiid is effectively shepherding the offense and locating teammates.

The two-man actions with Maxey border on automatic. Maxey has perhaps the quickest first step in the NBA. When Embiid sets a monster screen and free him up downhill, Maxey is hard to stop. He's equally comfortable wheeling into a movement 3, however, which is what makes Maxey so special. It's hard to find guards that quick and athletic who are also elite shooters.

Paul George should slot comfortably in the middle of the starting lineup as a supercharged No. 3 option. He's not at his borderline MVP heights of yesteryear, but George can still defend a few positions at a high level, bomb 3s, and attack a tilted defense. Philly could use more passing around Embiid, but George has made a concerted effort to improve his playmaking in recent years. He's comfortable operating as the offensive linchpin when called upon.

It will take time for it all to come together, but Philadelphia has the best overall trio in the NBA. Now, let's see if they have the best team.