Philadelphia 76ers: Trio of stars on World team shows future is bright

The Philadelphia 76ers had a trio of stars shine on Friday as the World team defeated the United States 155-124 in the Rising Stars Challenge.

With Joel Embiid being the only member of the Philadelphia 76ers participating in the 2018 NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Brett Brown fortunate enough to see three of his young stars, including Embiid, participate in Friday night’s Rising Stars Challenge. And if there were anything for the Sixers and their fans to takeaway from Friday’s contest, it would be the future is bright for this team, just in case anyone needed reassurance.

While Embiid (five points with two rebounds) saw limited action after playing just nine minutes, Ben Simmons (11 points, six rebounds, 13 assists, and four steals) and Dario Saric (18 points with three rebounds and five assists) played a big part in helping the World team take down the United States 155-124. Throughout the season, Philadelphia has been seen as one of the young teams on the rise in the Eastern Conference, but Friday’s game with three of their star players was the perfect example of why there’s so much excitement surrounding this team moving forward.

After years of being patient, the Sixers have finally been able to enjoy the trio of Embiid, Simmons, and Saric playing together this season, as Brown’s team currently sits in the No. 7 spot when it comes to the Eastern Conference playoff picture. In fact, Philadelphia was one of the hottest teams heading into the All-Star break with five wins in a row, including a recent win over the Miami Heat in which they overcame a 24-point deficit.

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The Sixers may still have a long way to go when it comes to being at the necessary level to compete for a championship, but the Rising Stars Challenge showed once again why there’s so much potential surrounding this team when looking at the talent Brown is fortunate enough to work with. Who knows, maybe if Philadelphia continues to play well after the All-Star break, and ends up securing one of the playoff spots in the Eastern Conference, this team could actually make some noise once the postseason officially gets underway come April. And if not, well at least the experience will only benefit the Sixers heading into next season since guys like Embiid, Simmons, and Saric will keep them in great shape for years to come.