Despite missing Joel Embiid, who has been their best player this season, the Philadelphia 76ers competed at a high level against the Golden State Warriors on Monday night. The impressive performance did not go unnoticed by the defending Western Conference champions.
After Golden State’s 119-108 win, several Warriors players in addition to coach Steve Kerr rushed to heap praise on the Sixers. Draymond Green was one of the first.
“You’ve got to give this team a lot of credit,” Green said, per Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com. “They’re going to be really, really, really good. I mean, they’re missing Embiid and Ben Simmons and they’re really on their way.”
The 76ers got a team-high 21 points from 22-year-old forward Dario Saric. Their bench contributed 48 points, with three non-starters scoring in double figures. Klay Thompson said Philadelphia’s style of play should make the team “scary” if they ever get everyone healthy.
“They play the right way,” Thompson said. “They made it tough on us tonight. I’m excited to see their team when Embiid and Simmons are healthy. It should be a scary frontcourt, and with Saric. They’re heading in the right direction. They’ll only get better this June because they have some high picks. It’s a bright future in Philly.”
Stephen Curry, who shot 0-for-11 from three-point range and 7-of-23 from the field, had a similar assessment.
“They play hard,” he said. “They have some talent to work around. Hopefully they have some consistency with their roster going forward and getting guys healthy. One thing about them, you’ve got to compliment their energy and effort and fight every night they play.”
There’s no denying the 76ers have youth and talent, but health is another story. Philly fans have every right to be excited about Embiid’s 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game this season after he missed the entire first two years of his career, but the former Kansas star is dealing with yet another injury. And who knows when Simmons will return. If anything keeps the Sixers from succeeding, it’ll be the inability of their best players to remain on the court.
