Are the 76ers a Threat to Win the 2020 NBA Finals?

The 2020 NBA season returns on July 31^st, with The Association embarking on an eight-game finish to the regular season.

That’s to make a little extra cash and also sort out the final seeds for the 2020 NBA playoffs, but for the most part, we know which teams can actually make noise come playoff time.

The greater question may be which teams could exploit this unique situation and make a deep playoff run. Is it possible someone unexpected even sneaks up on bettors and wins the 2020 NBA Finals?

Perhaps, and one team that stands out as a sneaky play is the Philadelphia 76ers. You wouldn’t know it by looking at their 2020 NBA Finals odds (+2800), but they actually have a pretty good case.

Here are a few reasons why betting on the 76ers to win this year’s title makes sense.

The Sixers will probably only go as far as Ben Simmons will take them. Before the NBA took a break, that wasn’t going to be very far, as he was missing time due to a back injury.

Thanks to the time off, Simmons is back to his old self and should be all systems go when the league resumes play.

That’s pretty important, seeing as he initiates much of Philly’s offense and was a key scorer (16.7 points per game). Not only that, but Simmons’ size, length, and athleticism make him a formidable obstacle for the opposition on the defensive end.

Getting Simmons back is big, and when you combine him with the unstoppable force that is Joel Embiid, anything is possible.

Embiid is another reason why the Sixers have so much upside. He has proven he can space the floor as a shooter, while he’s a menace down low offensively.

The crazy part is Embiid hasn’t even touched on what he’s actually capable of. After averaging over 27 points per game a season ago, he dipped down to 23.4 points per game this year.

With head coach Brett Brown pushing for his best player to log 38 minutes a night during the playoffs, we could see Embiid truly maximize his potential when the league returns.

Embiid and Simmons make the Philly offense go, but they also work together to make the Sixers a fairly imposing defense when they want to be.

Both guys rebound extremely well, while Embiid blocks 1.3 shots per game. The team as a whole is the 7^th most efficient defensive squad in the NBA, while the 76ers also rank 9^th in blocks and 6^th in points allowed per game.

Given the injuries they’ve had, it’s quite arguable we haven’t seen what the Sixers can do on defense yet.

Philly gets blasted for not winning a title with the talent they have by now, but you can’t say they’ve been doing nothing. The team acquired Jimmy Butler last year and nearly reached the Eastern Conference Finals, after all.

The team has advanced to the ECS two years in a row and may finally be ready to take things up a notch.

Simmons and Embiid have the playoff experience needed to make the jump, while guys like Tobias Harris, Josh Richardson, and Al Horford give them a supporting cast capable of winning big series.

The 76ers are healthy at the right time, they’re deep, they defend, and they have the experience needed to go further this year.

More than anything, though, they’re being overlooked. Their +2800 title odds suggest nobody really expects them to do much, while the loss of Jimmy Butler in free agency sapped them of some star power.

Maybe that ends up being true, but the only major obstacle preventing them from at least getting to the Finals is the Bucks. If Milwaukee falters at all, the Sixers could have enough to get to the promised land and even finish the job.

Whether you plan on backing the Sixers or not, be sure to get the best odds by using the top online NBA betting sites.