On paper, we should be in a very good period of Philadelphia sports. There is seemingly more talent than ever across most of the teams, Flyers excluded. The Eagles? Stacked? The Phillies? Stacked? The Sixers? Well, we thought they were great. And yet, we feel awful. The Phillies are scuffling out of the gate. The Sixers just had their 5th second round exit. The Flyers are a joke. Though the Eagles, even if they lost the Super Bowl, still give us a lot of hope.
There are 3 guys in Philadelphia who have either won their league’s MVP or who have been in that conversation at least. Joel Embiid and Bryce Harper won it. Jalen Hurts was in the running before his late-season injury. You can add Trea Turner to that conversation since he had MVP hype coming into the season. And around those guys, are a lot of other guys with either star-level talent or at least that potential for it.
Philadelphia athletes have the star talent now, apart from the Flyers. Even the Union has star talent. But it has not led to hardware though. Some of those stars have come up small. Others played great, and their team just came up short around them. We have now seen the Eagles, Phillies, Sixers, and Union all come up short when it matters. Eagles Phillies and Union in their championship game. And the Sixers didn’t even make it that far. Despite the Talent, none of them have given us a parade, yet.
So which stars have earned our trust? Which ones still have to prove themselves when it matters most? Let’s look at all the Star talent we have in Philly, and if they have lived up to that billing so far.
Here are the Philadelphia Stars That Have, and Have Not Proven themselves:
Joel Embiid- Not Proven
There is a lot good to say about Joel Embiid. In terms of talent, you could argue he is one of the most talented guys to every play in Philly period, let alone just the Sixers. 3 straight seasons as an MVP finalist, and he won it this year. And before the Celtics series, many would have said he was the Philly athlete they trusted the most. But there is no ignoring what happened this season. When the lights shined the brightest, he could not live up to the lofty expectations.
15 points in an elimination game. The biggest dropoff in scoring in the playoffs by an MVP ever. He let his team drop 2 straight games after they led 3-2. It was unacceptable. Enough with the excuses. Joel Embiid needs to step up and get the job done the next time he gets the chance. Until then it will be hard to forget how badly he played when it mattered most.
(Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
Carter Hart- Unproven
Carter Hart was supposed to be the next great Flyers goalie. And so far, he has kind of lived up to it. Hart has played well, considering everything else around him. The defense in front of him in his young career has been putrid. Hell, the whole team has been. This is not a, he has not done well enough thing. But more of he has never had a chance to live up to the hype. He looked decent in his one taste of the playoffs. Had a save percentage of .926 in 14 games.
Hopefully, soon enough he will get more of a chance. Ideally, Keith Jones and Danny Briere will finally build a good team around him, and give him a chance to grow into the guy promised as a generational goalie. We need to see it before we say he has proven anything though. In the Playoffs right now we are seeing goalies carry their teams. Can Hart do that? We don’t know yet.
(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Zack Wheeler- Unproven
Going into the World Series last season, Wheeler felt like the sure thing. But now? It’s a bit questionable. He was not as bad as Nola in the World Series. It would be hard to be worse. But his 5.23 ERA was still bad. His first start was a blowup. The 2nd start was better, but he couldn’t get through 5 innings. Not good enough from an Ace. Now he is losing velocity and struggling to start this season. Not good. It is sad to say, but the Phillies two “aces” are not worthy of our trust right now. They each have something to prove.
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Darius Slay- Unproven
We all love Slay. Him coming back, is a good thing. Between him and James Bradberry, they were one of the best, if not the best, cornerback tandem in the league. But the defense is a big reason why they lost the Super Bowl. In fact, it is the reason they lost. And Slay was getting picked on a little bit. You could say the same about James Bradberry, but Slay is the one who is the team leader and the most recognizable face on the defense. The defense needs to be better next time. Starting with him.
(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Tyrese Maxey- Unproven
Maxey is still young, so he deserves a bit of a break. We have seen him show star potential in the playoffs in the past. But we have also seen him disappear in games too often. Maxey looked great in games 5 and 6. But was a non factor in games 2, 3, and 4. Embiid and Harden rightfully took most of the heat for the Playoff collapse. But going forward, Maxey needs to be more reliable. It doesn’t need to be a 30pt night like in game 5. But can he average 20 pts a game in the playoffs like he does in the regular season? They are going to need him to. The excuses that he is young and inexperienced wont fly past this season. With a larger role likely coming for him, he needs to step into it if the Sixers are going to fix this.
(Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
Trea Turner- Unproven
Trea Turner is certainly a star. He is the best SS in the MLB. But he has yet to really prove he can be the guy when it counts here, or elsewhere. He has struggled out of the gates here. Yesterday, when he hit the game tying HR, showed he is capable. We need to see it more in Philly. And his postseason stats in the past leave a little to be desired. And he has had chances. He was on the World Series Nationals team, and did not play great. His slash line was just .233/.291/.329/.620. In 2021 with the Dodgers it was not much better. But last year he played well in the Dodgers short playoff stint. So hopefully that will carry over if they make the playoffs this year. We just have to see it first though.
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)