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The Philadelphia 76ers are coming off a win over the Charlotte Hornets and will face them again at home. Philly has started the new era under Doc Rivers with five victories in their first six games. The Sixers have the best record in the Eastern Conference in the 2020-21 NBA season, and Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons have been essential for them.
On the other hand, the Charlotte Hornets have been fun to watch but a 2-4 record is not impressive. For the Hornets, rookie LaMelo Ball is starting to come alive and recently put up some good performances. On that note, let us take a look at the combined starting five from these two teams.
Charlotte Hornets vs. Philadelphia 76ers: Combined starting 5
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The Philadelphia 76ers are on a three-game winning streak and beat the Hornets 127-112 on January 2. With the league's intention to limit travel due to the current Covid-19 situation, the two teams will meet again at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center.
Charlotte have lost its last two games by 15 points, against the Memphis Grizzlies and the Sixers. However, they had two impressive wins before their last two losses. They defeated the favorites to win the East, Brooklyn Nets and took an impressive win over the Dallas Mavericks by 19 points at Dallas' American Airlines Center.
Philly has been led by their duo of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, while Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward, and LaMelo Ball have been impactful for the Charlotte Hornets.
On that note, let us start with a combined starting five from the Philadelphia 76ers and the Charlotte Hornets.
Point Guard - Ben Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers)
Ben Simmons is the perfect old-school point guard for the Philadelphia 76ers, who is also a great all-around player. At 6' 10'', the Australian's potential is off the charts, and he could dominate the league for years to come.
The 24-year-old guard is averaging 14 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 7 assists per game in six matches for the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2020-21 season. He has been efficient from the field (making 52% of his shots) and has one Triple-Double in the season (against the Charlotte Hornets in the previous game).
Shooting Guard - Terry Rozier (Charlotte Hornets)
The Charlotte Hornets kept Terry Rozier on their roster despite selecting a guard (LaMelo Ball) with the third pick of the 2020 NBA Draft. Rozier has been good for Charlotte so far, and he makes the cut as the shooting guard on this combined starting five.
Rozier is listed as a point guard, but he is a score-first player. Despite Ball's recent performances, Rozier has been more consistent throughout the first six games for the Charlotte Hornets.
'Scary Terry' is averaging 23 points per game and has made 49% of his field goals and 45% of his three-pointers. Against the Philadelphia 76ers, Rozier put up 35 points and made 12 of his 18 field goals and seven of his 11 attempts from 3P.
Small Forward - Gordon Hayward (Charlotte Hornets)
Despite the noise during the 2020 NBA Free Agency about his huge contract with the Charlotte Hornets, Gordon Hayward has had a good start to the 2020-21 NBA season.
His tenure with the Charlotte Hornets started with a 28-point effort in a season-opening loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Hayward is averaging 19 points, five rebounds, and five assists in the first six games and is on course to have his best year since the 2016-17 NBA season when he made his only All-Star Game.
Hayward has made 46% of his shots and 36% of his three-pointers. Against the Philadelphia 76ers in the previous game, Hayward put up 20 points, six assists, and six rebounds while making seven of his 15 field goals.
Power Forward - Tobias Harris (Philadelphia 76ers)
Tobias Harris has been a solid player for the Philadelphia 76ers in recent years and has had a good start to the 2020-21 NBA season.
In the first few weeks, Tobias Harris is averaging 18 points, 8.5 rebounds, three assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game.
Moreover, Harris had a great game against the Charlotte Hornets in his previous outing. He put up 24 points, nine rebounds, six assists, four steals, and three blocks in 36 minutes.
He also made nine of his 14 shots against the Hornets and four of his seven attempts from the three-point line.
Center - Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers)
The only option to be the Center on this starting five is the Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid. In fact, Joel Embiid might be making an early case for the NBA Most Valuable Player of the Year award if the Sixers continue their run and end up with one of the best records in the league.
Embiid is averaging 25 points and 13 rebounds per night in his first five appearances of the 2020-21 NBA season. The Sixers have won every game in which Embiid played, and his presence has been huge for them.
Against the Hornets in their last outing, Embiid put up 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in 36 minutes.
Overall, Embiid has been great offensively, though he may need to show more aggression on the attack. The center has made 54% of his shots, 40% of his three-pointers, and 80% of his free throws (which might be his best asset).
With a healthy Embiid in the regular season, achieving the best record in the East is certainly possible for the Sixers. Moreover, if he continues with this kind of efficiency on offense and adds more intensity, Embiid can become a clear MVP candidate.
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