ESPN basketball writers Kevin Pelton, Amin Elhassan and David Thorpe ranked the NBA's top 25 players under 25 based on future potential, and unsurprisingly a pair of Sixers made the list.
Joel Embiid ranked fourth, after Anthony Davis, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Ben Simmons was 10th, a spot after Andre Drummond and before Andrew Wiggins.
"Embiid is the biggest challenger to Towns for 'best center' in future seasons," Thorpe wrote. "He is every bit the scorer Towns is and has similar versatility and ball skills. He is also a better shooter (36.7 percent from 3 this year vs. 33.7 percent for Towns) and shot blocker (more than doubles Towns' block rate).
"In time he'll have no excuse to not be an elite rebounder as well, thanks to his size and agility. As with Towns, his efficiency will spike as more experienced (and talented) players surround him."
Embiid, the overwhelming Rookie of the Year favorite, is averaging 20.2 points and 7.8 rebounds. Extrapolate those numbers over 36 minutes - a realistic mark, given Towns' average of 36.4 minutes - and you get 28.7 points and 11.1 rebounds for The Process.
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Thorpe's projection for Simmons will get Sixers fans excited as the No. 1 pick continues his rehab from a Jones fracture.
"Simmons has the speed and quickness of Jason Kidd in his prime, but in a much taller frame," Thorpe opined. "His overall playmaking skills project to be elite, too, which means that he can be a team's primary creator.
"Thanks to his size and athleticism, coaches should expect him to be an all-league defensive player. If ever he learns to shoot, Simmons has MVP potential. If not, he is still a core player on a potentially great team."
The rankings were a composite of the three writers' own personal top 25 lists. The highest Embiid appeared was third, by Thorpe. The highest ranking for Simmons was fifth, also from Thorpe.
Nerlens Noel appeared on only of the three lists, 23rd by Elhassan.
Jahlil Okafor was omitted by all three, while players like Cody Zeller, Willie Cauley-Stein, Bismack Biyombo and Dante Exum made at least one list. It says a lot about the national perception of Okafor, who had one rebound last night in 24 minutes.
