Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors are hosting The Process on Saturday, but just because the Philadelphia 76ers play in a different conference on a different coast doesn’t mean the Warriors haven’t been paying attention.
While Markelle Fultz remains on the shelf for the Sixers, much of that attention has been on Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, who have been fantastic for Philadelphia early on. Their play early has clearly been something that’s made noise around the league, as Simmons is considered to be the early favorite for NBA Rookie of the Year honors.
Curry had high praise for rookie Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, calling them “animals” ahead of their meeting on Saturday.
“They’re animals,” Curry told ESPN’s Chris Hayes on Saturday. “(They’re) playing at a very high level right now.”
The Sixers are an outside favorite to make the playoffs in the east this year, but it’s clear that Curry and the Warriors won’t underestimate Philadelphia.
It seems like they got a lot of momentum with the roster and those guys being healthy. It’s great for the league obviously. These are young guys coming in and doing amazing things. It will be fun to get to know them on the court. They’re tough. Their story is great for the league.
A fun Sixers team winning games is good for the league, but they’re a long way from competing consistently with the likes of the Warriors. Collecting franchise players after a long period of poor play, though, does seem to be the way to go about competing. As long as you pick the right guys when given the chance.
Oh, and if you’re excited about this game because a potential point guard matchup of Curry and Simmons will be fun, we have some good news. Sixers coach Brett Brown says that he will put his 6’11 point guard on the two-time MVP.
This might end up being really, really fun.
