New York Knicks vs Philadelphia 76ers Prediction - Combined Starting 5 featuring Joel Embiid and RJ Barrett

Small Forward - Tobias Harris (Philadelphia 76ers)

Philadelphia 76ers v Los Angeles Lakers

The Philadelphia 76ers seem to be in a bind when it comes to Tobias Harris. The former LA Clippers All-Star is on a 4-year $140 million contract that hasn't paid off for the organization.

In Harris, the team has a quality stretch four to pair with Embiid and Simmons. On paper, the fit is excellent as Harris is an above-average shooter. He can still rebound and get over 20 points per game but his ineffective shooting and stagnant offense have hurt the team.

In the 76ers first game of their season, Harris put up 10 points and 8 rebounds while shooting 3 of 13 from the field and 0 for 4 from beyond the arc. The Philadelphia 76ers have shown interest in trading him but his massive 30 million-plus a year contract will be hard to move.

Shooting Guard - RJ Barrett (New York Knicks)

New York Knicks v Indiana Pacers

In his sophomore year, RJ Barrett has shown flashes of brilliance as he has emerged as the team's primary ball-handler and their main scorer. Perhaps this could be the season he breaks out and becomes the player everyone thought he would be coming out of college.

Barrett has shown exceptional ball-handling skills and has the knack for scoring clutch points. Although he is weak on the defensive side, Barrett will grow into a better defender as he has the size and the length to contest the league's best players.

.@RjBarrett6 with a strong start to the new season. 26 PTS (11-15 FG), 8 REB, 5 AST pic.twitter.com/m7nH52lDyl

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 24, 2020

In the first game of his sophomore season, RJ Barrett lead the team in scoring with 27 points while grabbing 8 rebounds to go with 5 assists in a 14 point loss to the Indiana Pacers.

Point Guard - Ben Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers)

Philadelphia 76ers v Indiana Pacers

A jump shot away from being LeBron James. That is what of the NBA believes about Ben Simmons. He is a rare generational talents that we see once in a lifetime. His passing ability and touch in the paint are phenomenal. On the other end, the one-time All-Star was a candidate for the Defensive Player of the Year last season and was selected to his first All-Defensive 1st team.

Ben Simmons is nearly the complete package with just one flaw - he cannot shoot. Simmons is one of the worst 3-point shooters in the league and has faced a lot of criticism for his hesitancy to take jump shots.

He has shown promise this offseason as multiple videos surfacing of him practicing and making 3s have emerged. All things considered, Ben Simmons is a star in this league and may become an MVP too someday.

In his first game with this season, Simmons put up 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists in a 6 point victory over the Washington Wizards.