Are the 76ers’ Big 3 the best in the NBA? | First Take

Are the 76ers’ Big 3 the best in the NBA? | First Take

all right it’s time for a quick take free agent buddy heeld will be playing with the Warriors next season after a sign and trade deal guaranteed for two years $21 million sources told W Courtney does this move the needle for Golden State at all they should feel very good about the replacement for Klay Thompson it’s not often that you can find a player who can shoot the three as well as Klay did while their Splash brother replacement is Buddy healed now does this move the needle for me as far as putting them in Contender category no I still think that they are a big move away from doing just that but I’ll give the Warriors credit for what they’ve done throughout this off seon especially this free agent period to like to remake the middle of your rotation with the Anthony meltons so somebody who can take on that tough perimeter assignment while also spacing the floor Kyle Anderson I like what they’ve done around the edges but to be considered any sort of Dark Horse Fringe cat Fringe uh category Contender I think that they are still a little bit away all right let’s keep it in the association after the Clippers announced Paul George’s departure last weekend our Adrian wowski broke the news Monday morning that PG has agreed to a $22 million fouryear contract with the Sixers of course that means he’ll be joining Joel embiid and Tyrese Maxi in the City of Brotherly Love Brian windhorse isn’t moved At All by the move take a listen this is the fourth time in about seven years that Paul George has been a headliner of a of a of a offseason move the previous three have led to what and that’s my point I’m tired of sitting here the first week of July and declaring that a Paul Georgia arrival changes the everything cuz I believe that with the Clippers bottom line I’m just going to wait back a little bit before I’m willing to just assume that this fit will mean The Changing of the Guard somewhere Brian wior always spit in facts FX all right we got our alliteration crew here uh for this NBA alliteration what fax all right just checking um car I’m going to start with you do you think that the Sixers have the best big three in the association yeah yes I do right now um I get Wendy’s let’s called Paul George fatigue if you will from the last few years completely understandable but when I look and consider a big three as we’ve traditionally come to know them here over the last 15 years this one fits about as well as it can now I have real real injury concerns and I know how much Paul George was available this year but it was also a contract year but when it comes to Eden Paul George you can’t look at the situation and not be worried about that but think about the fit Tyrese Maxi is a dynamic dynamic playmaking guard who could score at will embiid we all understand when he’s on the floor is unguardable at Center and then you’ve got Paul George at as a wing Defender two-way player who’s a scorer and I think that fits all the way around I think that’s absolutely a perfect fit and like am I going to compare that to what we have in Phoenix I’m I’m not going to do that I’m okay with where we are right now because of how we talk about the big three and I you know where Wendy where Wendy’s right about this is that look at the teams that just won and like got to the highest level of the postseason Nick play Team Basketball they don’t have a big three cuz they don’t need a big three the Celtics you know had eight guys shoot over 100 three-pointers this year like team basketball is still very much in Vogue despite the fact that we are still in a big three era which I do think is kind of getting phased out by some teams but I can’t discount nicoa joic and Jamaal Murray and Aaron Gordon I mean the joic and Murray pick and roll alone is lethal and you think back to the year that they won the championship those three played over 2,000 possessions together and there’s a reason why they were one of the best teams and the best team in the league the uh that year 2022 23 season because of the contributions that they got with those guys I mean Paul George still to me is kind of this unknown the Philadelphia 76ers but the biggest unknown in all of that is Joel embiid we think he can stay healthy we know they made this move to take advantage of him in his prime and watching what Tyrese Maxi has become in this offense and also as a Defender all of those pieces should play out well for the 76ers to get past the conference semi-finals for the first time ever we don’t know if that’s going to happen I’m going I’m giving you mine based on what I’ve seen happen in the Western Conference where now you’ve got multiple big threes I mean go take a look at a team like the Dallas Mavericks bringing clay in I think you could put them into the conversation as well Oklahoma City has one is has one too but I the effective field goal percentage the defensive rating both of those metrics way on the up and up continuously every single season for this Denver Nuggets team with their big three that’s why I’ve got them at top of my list I got to say and you mentioned it Courtney first of all I think we are moving past the big three era yeah and and you know what I mean like this is a little bit ancient but I will say this we got these questions last night celebrating the 4th and my initial answer was no chance it’s just no chance because I’m tired I kind of agree with Wendy I’m tired of doing this thing based on potential what have you actually shown me and so if we’re going to boil it down to a team that has it best core unit it has to be the Boston Celtics who just won the championship and have an open runway in terms of potential my issue with this group and I hear you Carlin I’m actually curious to see the Maxi PG Dynamic we saw and I was one of the people in December through probably what the second week of January that I was like yo the Clippers might do it like Paul Georgia was a part of that Squad that was rolling clicking on all’re playing great so Paul George can play doesn’t need the basketball in his hands he can play alongside a terrific point guard and Tyrese Maxi tyres Maxi and jool and beid obviously had it working this year but I I wonder and we will see not just the Paul George is not just new this roster essentially is new and immediately my thought was was the Harris thing a misfit and an individual aggressiveness mentality or was it a system you obviously don’t make a move for Paul George who was an upgrade from Harris right you obviously don’t bring him to this to have him go stand in the corner and wait down wait to knock down three I can’t give them just yet because I’m not going to operate off a potential okay so first of all right now I’d rather not have a big three I got you I I let’s call it a core let’s exactly you know that third player I want to be a highlevel role player like Drew holiday I want him to be that uh if I’m looking at a big three here and I’m looking at the Sixers they really didn’t have a whole another option this off season where they could get marketly better than to do this so is it rolling the dice a little bit sure because I they have eight players under contract right now like who else is going to be here you know uh I I’m genuinely interested in how that’s going to play out I just when I think about those three if we’re talking about talent and the potential of fitting where they all play that’s great like I look at what’s gone on in Phoenix and what they did last year and that is Matt ishbia just throwing it all against the wall get me Durant get me Bradley be just get me the best talent and we’ll make it work no you won’t it’s not going to work because they don’t fit together and I mean tell me if I’m wrong there were times that that team even though finish in the six seed looked disinterested in playing together last year so when I’m I’m trying to piece together a team that’s trying to find a way to contend with the Celtics this this feels like it was their best option to do it and it is a high level of talent they had to do something because the Paul the James Harden EXP experiment failed in Philly and how many more years are you going to have of Joel embiid in his prime to take advantage of knowing that you have to bring somebody else and I actually like I know that you’ve got concerns about what they did with the roster in free agency and I think about the depth I know that that’s not the sexiest thing to talk about like bringing in Andre Drummond and Eric Gordon but that’s spelling Joel embiid giving him some minutes abolutely in doing that in the regular season so you have him healthy so this big three can reach its full potential in the postseason what was the thing we were complaining about win the second round with them too it was all the it was the lack of bench contributions they remade that part so they’re big three we won’t have to have that conversation about the other pieces of that team failing the Philadelphia 76ers granted it puts more pressure on what they have built here with Tyrese Maxi Joel embiid and with Paul George I don’t know if this big three though given the state of the Eastern Conference right now given where the Boston Celtics are then the Phil then the New York Knicks and then the Philadelphia 76ers I don’t think this big three is going to be going to be realized or actualized this year alone it’s kind of like what we saw with with the Phoenix Suns last year thinking that there was going to be this like instant gratification and there wasn’t that I think that’s the point Courtney I’m I’m totally with you like literally the only time it was at star of Paul George’s caliber because I think we could probably pick a part A christops porzingis who was maybe the missing piece for Boston if you want to Drew holiday part of their big three and that’s you know it’s an interchangeable piece I think with the Boston correct and they had the if you go four if you go Derek white which we could argue a debate about right but of Paul George’s caliber in terms of being someone that is a part of the core unit that we absolutely rely on the only time it’s been ADW season 1 was in Toronto it is hard to do and now we talk about all of these other additions sure a boosta bench love that Drummond in particular for embiid having some opportunities to rest fantastic but it takes time and I just I don’t think I’m with you Courtney the Sixers dream of the actualization of what this deal is supposed to achieve I just don’t see it happening in year one now if we get to May and they made it happen in year one all all Praises super commendable all that good stuff [Music]

Are the 76ers’ Big 3 the best in the NBA? | First Take
On First Take, Chris Carlin, Monica McNutt and Courtney Cronin debate whether the Philadelphia 76ers’ Big 3 is the best in the NBA.
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0:00 Quick Takes
1:00 Are the 76ers Big 3 the best in the NBA?
6:40 Monica McNutt is saying they are the best Big just yet
7:50 Courtney Cronin on 76ers’ new Big 3

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