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Is there a single player on the Boston Celtics who you'd take over Joel Embiid or Ben Simmons?

When you're talking about contenders, you have to start with stars.

Philly's stellar duo comes complete with specific and troubling imperfections, though. This is why, as you've probably deduced, the Celtics still outrank the Sixers.

Embiid played 31 games in his first three seasons. Though he recovered to dominate for 63 contests last year, we still can't think about the Sixers' ceiling without first considering Embiid's health. It also isn't ideal that even when injury-free, Embiid's conditioning seemed suspect.

Simmons' issue is outside shooting. He attempted only 11 threes as a rookie, making none. All 11 were late-clock heaves, too, so the 6'10" point forward has a lot of work to do before boasting a complete game.

In a way, those concerns almost make the case for ranking the 76ers higher. It's so easy to isolate their problems and, in theory, fix them. It's kind of like the Sixers and Celtics are drag racing, and we know the Celtics are going to get off the line on time, rev up to a healthy top speed and finish without issue. The Sixers might hit the gas late and catch on fire at some point, but their top speed might be higher.

The priced-in risk is all that prevents Philadelphia from ranking second. When everything works, as it did after the All-Star break last year, the Sixers are flat-out elite. In that span, Philly went 22-5 and posted a net rating of plus-10.7 that smoked Boston's figures of 15-8 and plus-4.1.

Yes, the Sixers could have had a better summer. They didn't land a star. Meanwhile, the Toronto Raptors reeled in Kawhi Leonard, and the Celtics will add a healthy Gordon Hayward. Still, there's a non-zero chance Markelle Fultz becomes Philly's big addition. If he hits the ground running and suddenly reminds the world why everyone but Danny Ainge believed he was the clear No. 1 prospect in 2017, it'll be like the Sixers signed a developing star.

And if Fultz is as good as previously advertised, the Sixers will boast a three-headed monster.