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  4. title => "NBA GM survey: Sixers seen as a better team than last year, but Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons mostly fly under radar"
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  6. article_body => "<p>If you\u2019re seeking to break outside the local bubble and understand the league\u2019s view of your team, the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/gmsurvey\/2019\" target=\"_blank\"> NBA.com GM survey<\/a> is a helpful tool.<\/p>\n<p>John Schuhmann had the league\u2019s general managers respond to 50 different questions about coaches, players, teams and more. GMs were, of course, prohibited from selecting their own team or members of their organization.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Below are a few interesting Sixers-related takeaways.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>What a difference a year makes&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>On opening night last season, the Sixers started Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz, Robert Covington, Dario Saric and Joel Embiid. In the eyes of NBA GMs, replacing Fultz, Covington and Saric with Josh Richardson, Tobias Harris and Al Horford is a substantial upgrade.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>After being picked by zero GMs to win the Eastern Conference last year, 24 percent of respondents this season think the Sixers will be conference champions, with 76 percent taking the Bucks.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Embiid is \u2026 flying under the radar?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Embiid\u2019s talents are widely recognized across the league, without a doubt. He finished second in the voting for best center in the NBA, behind Nikola Jokic and ahead of Anthony Davis.<\/p>\n<p>That said, there were a couple of categories in which Embiid was perhaps overlooked. Embiid was not one of the six players to receive votes as best defensive player in the league, or one of the eight picked as MVP.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>More puzzlingly, no GM selected him as the league\u2019s best international player. Giannis Antetokounmpo was the clear, uncontroversial&nbsp;winner with 86 percent of the vote. It\u2019s a bit odd, though, that reigning Rookie of the Year Luka Doncic got 7 percent while the Cameroonian Embiid, an All-Star starter the past two seasons, got none. Simmons, a native of Australia, was also passed over again.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>The Sixers aren\u2019t so \u2018young\u2019 anymore &nbsp;<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The Sixers aged dramatically over the past year, at least judging by these survey results.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>They dropped from receiving 47 percent of votes for most promising young core to 7 percent this season, behind the Pelicans, Nuggets, Hawks and Kings. While Embiid and Simmons are indeed merely a year older, Richardson is 26 years old and Harris 27, the perception appears to be that the Sixers are no longer a youthful team on the verge of title contention \u2014&nbsp;they\u2019ve hit the next stage, or so it seems.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>No lone star &nbsp;<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Embiid was the Sixers player who got the most individual attention. Simmons and Harris received no votes of any sort, while Richardson showed up in the \u201calso receiving votes\u201d category for the question of the most underrated player acquisition this offseason. Horford received votes for the most surprising offseason acquisition and best basketball IQ.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/art19.com\/shows\/sixers-talk-a-philadelphia-76ers-podcast\/episodes\/81265dfc-38ca-4a6e-b7e0-78e169ab54ec\/embed\" style=\"width: 100%; height: 200px; border: 0 none;\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><br><br><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/smart.link\/5bb788a3d5b83?site_id=Web_NBCS_Philly&amp;creative_id=nbcsphi1356&amp;cp_4=www.nbcsports.com&amp;cp_1=washington&amp;cp_2=myteams-nbc-sports&amp;cp_3=nbcsphi1356\">Click here<\/a> to download the MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Flyers, Sixers and Phillies games easily on your device.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\">More on the Sixers<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/philadelphia\/76ers\/ben-simmons-quote-jump-shot-sixers-al-horford-josh-richardson\">Simmons\u2019 self-awareness came through at practice Wednesday&nbsp;<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/philadelphia\/76ers\/sixers-talk-podcast-matisse-thybulle-ben-simmons-joel-embiid-tobias-harris\">Sixers Talk podcast: Thybulle might already be the sixth man&nbsp;<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/philadelphia\/76ers\/zhaire-smith-sixers-rookie-option-exercised\">Sixers pick up Smith\u2019s option, make clear call to further bank on his development<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/philadelphia\/76ers\/matisse-thybulle-sixers-pistons-preseason-brett-brown-josh-richardson\">Thybulle continues to crush every opportunity Sixers give him<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/philadelphia\/76ers\/joel-embiid-matisse-thybulle-josh-richardson-sixers-preseason-detroit-pistons\">Dominant Embiid definitely looks ready for the games to count<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n"
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76ers

76ers

If you’re seeking to break outside the local bubble and understand the league’s view of your team, the NBA.com GM survey is a helpful tool.

John Schuhmann had the league’s general managers respond to 50 different questions about coaches, players, teams and more. GMs were, of course, prohibited from selecting their own team or members of their organization. 

Below are a few interesting Sixers-related takeaways.

What a difference a year makes 

On opening night last season, the Sixers started Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz, Robert Covington, Dario Saric and Joel Embiid. In the eyes of NBA GMs, replacing Fultz, Covington and Saric with Josh Richardson, Tobias Harris and Al Horford is a substantial upgrade. 

After being picked by zero GMs to win the Eastern Conference last year, 24 percent of respondents this season think the Sixers will be conference champions, with 76 percent taking the Bucks. 

Embiid is … flying under the radar? 

Embiid’s talents are widely recognized across the league, without a doubt. He finished second in the voting for best center in the NBA, behind Nikola Jokic and ahead of Anthony Davis.

That said, there were a couple of categories in which Embiid was perhaps overlooked. Embiid was not one of the six players to receive votes as best defensive player in the league, or one of the eight picked as MVP. 

More puzzlingly, no GM selected him as the league’s best international player. Giannis Antetokounmpo was the clear, uncontroversial winner with 86 percent of the vote. It’s a bit odd, though, that reigning Rookie of the Year Luka Doncic got 7 percent while the Cameroonian Embiid, an All-Star starter the past two seasons, got none. Simmons, a native of Australia, was also passed over again.

 

The Sixers aren’t so ‘young’ anymore  

The Sixers aged dramatically over the past year, at least judging by these survey results. 

They dropped from receiving 47 percent of votes for most promising young core to 7 percent this season, behind the Pelicans, Nuggets, Hawks and Kings. While Embiid and Simmons are indeed merely a year older, Richardson is 26 years old and Harris 27, the perception appears to be that the Sixers are no longer a youthful team on the verge of title contention — they’ve hit the next stage, or so it seems. 

No lone star  

Embiid was the Sixers player who got the most individual attention. Simmons and Harris received no votes of any sort, while Richardson showed up in the “also receiving votes” category for the question of the most underrated player acquisition this offseason. Horford received votes for the most surprising offseason acquisition and best basketball IQ. 



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