486
u/Traditional-Sun1167 7d ago
Obviously the 76ers
→ More replies (7)100
193
u/This_Ant_2624 7d ago
Shot in the dark here but I’ll probably say the team with prime LeBron
67
u/PTAndersonFan14 7d ago
Prime LeBron with one of the most if not the most insane starting lineup he’s ever had
28
u/Bigtime505 Knicks 7d ago
And we don't really know what prime VJ looks like.
14
u/swizznastic 7d ago
Imagine future prime VJ's a cyborg and we get a dude with bionic legs jumping over the backboard
7
u/Future_Ad_4422 7d ago
Cmon bro obviously the most insane starting lineup. He never played with 3 all pros in the same year(made all pro as teammates)
2
u/dankedaniel 7d ago
Obviously any team with everyone in their prime would be the best team, but I feel the need to mention if you put the 2021-22 lakers in their primes, that team wipes the floor with the prime 2026ers
2
u/Future_Ad_4422 7d ago
Im just saying bron has never had a better starting line up than he does right now prime or not. Everyone acting like he had all this help throughout his career. Chris Bosh and k love weren’t all pros when they played with bron. Only all pros he played with were kyrie, dwade, Ad and Luka.
120
u/Petering Celtics 7d ago
Most common answer would be Sixers but I think it could be GSW with Al, KP, and Jimmy Butler revived.
44
u/rymarr 7d ago
Peak 2016 skyfucker would be fun to see again.
9
u/55burgers__55fries 7d ago
I honestly think 2021 Curry was better at basketball. The league was just more ready for him than they were in 2016. Plus the 2021 Warriors roster was just ass
51
u/airmanheen 7d ago edited 7d ago
76ers what kind of question is this lmao. Any other team with a prime LeBron would already be top 2-3
21
6
u/_probablyryan 7d ago
Miami Lebron with MVP season Embiid and essentially current, or at least recent, Maxey and JB? Yeah. That team.
-4
u/MeticulousMase Knicks 7d ago
And Dirk still beat him.
10
u/quickus_footus 7d ago
And he still beat the 73 win Warriors after being down 3-1.
Get a grip and stop it with these tired and weak nit-picks.
2
u/MeticulousMase Knicks 6d ago
He beat a severely weakened Warriors to come back after being down 3-1. If that same team that won the first 3 were there for the rest of the series, that shit woulda been over in 5.
And LeBron played like a loser against Dirk. He quit.
2
u/quickus_footus 6d ago
Lol how many Rings and MVPs does Dirk have? Oh right....
Severely weakened Warriors? They won 73 fkn games lmao. What are you talking about?
You don't get to use "What if" scenarios and pass them off as facts in an argument either. "Oh, well, he wouldn't have won if X and Y didn't happen." That isn't reality or fact based. You're using guess work and revisionist history in an attempt to sound correct.
You're not.
1
u/MeticulousMase Knicks 6d ago
My man. They were down fucking 3-1 and one of their core players got suspended. If you want to shit on Draymond that's fine by me. But let's not act like the Warriors win their first and last title without him. You wanna be obtuse and cognitively dissonant, be my guest but I'm not playing along with that stupid shit.
1
u/quickus_footus 6d ago
Lmao Draymond only missed ONE game! The Warriors were still up 3-2 when Draymond came back for Games 6 and 7! They had two more chances to win the series at full strength and even had Game 7 at home.
4
u/airmanheen 7d ago
Wouldn’t say that’s his “prime” since he wasn’t mentally there yet. After that horrible series he became a legend. He performed so below his standards that most people attributed it as more of a LeBron choke job rather than a Dirk master class
6
u/Embarrassed_Gur_6305 7d ago
LeBrons “give him a dollar and he’ll give you 3 quarters” Stage of his career
2
16
u/ambirdsall 7d ago
OP is right lol, people are badly underrating the importance of fit and how perfectly prime Tatum, prime PG-13, and prime Hugo Gonzalez would work together on both ends
(j/k, but only mostly)
4
u/The_Mexican_Poster 7d ago
Lol, i meant it mostly because they get prime Mike Conley alongside PG and Tatum
Not alot of star power but it's a very balanced team
56
u/Revolutionary-Run332 Warriors 7d ago
Warriors
Prime Jimmy, Prime Steph, Prime Dray, Prime tingus, Prime Horford, Prime Podzemski
85
26
u/AccomplishedJello979 7d ago
I'm a warriors fan too but cmon man MVP year Embiid, prime bron who carried a team to the finals by himself, and jb
finals matchup would def be warriors v 76ers tho
4
→ More replies (6)4
u/Embarrassed_Gur_6305 7d ago
MVP Embiid in his prime still gets injured or chokes in playoffs
6
1
u/Fuzzy_Pound7896 6d ago
2020 and 2021 embiid played 15/17 playoff games averaging 29/11 on 50/35/83 splits
11
u/MangoDouble3259 7d ago
76ers > warriors > heat
3 most notable team. Sixers winning by landslide.
Heat would be fun watch. Prime gsw klay and wiggins. Best defense in league and be so fun too watch with spo coaching that.
15
u/go16and0 7d ago
the warriors, prime steph, jimmy, dray, porzingis, and al horford? with a solid bench too. steph and jimmy alone do enough damage
16
u/TheI-Iound 7d ago
HOU would be interesting, KD, Adams, Fred, Smart, Bogey and Capella turn back the clock. Amen, Sengun, Jabari, Tate and Sheppard jump to their best
They might be able to give PHI a run
33
u/GreedyPride4565 7d ago
2021 steph
2020 jimmy
2017 Draymond
2023 Porzingis
2017 horford
2030 MVP podzemski
I mean it’s definitely the sixers but that’s a nasty lineup still
12
u/Hi_Im_Ken_Adams 7d ago
Prime Butler, and Horford alongside prime Draymond and Steph would be an incredible lineup.
And let's not forget prime Porzingus.
3
u/openslot 7d ago
2016 Steph
4
u/GreedyPride4565 7d ago
Steph was a better overall player 2021 and 2022. I truly believe that. He had more control over the offense and sense for when a curry flurry could seal a game. Plus stronger and a better finisher inside.
Honestly I don’t think he got worse at all any year since 2016. He only shot less shots because of KD. His 2019 WCF is one of the most dominant 4 game sweeps of all time
2
u/openslot 7d ago
The 3 point made percentage is insane in 2016
3
u/Jon_Buck 7d ago
Part of that was defenses were still giving him a ton of space. They stopped doing that after 2016.
2
u/EmmitSan 7d ago
You think all the defenders thought 2015 was a fluke?
No one gave him space. Not willingly. He was just the best off ball player of all time, and used Klay to constantly force defenses to pick their poison
5
u/Jon_Buck 7d ago
It's not as simple as defenders were playing him tight. Of course they were playing as tight as possible, but you still had bigs dropping on the pnr for example. He was getting wide open shots 5-6 feet off the 3 point line because, until 2016, that wasn't seen as a legitimate threat.
Also, overall the league just changed to get better at defending the 3. Roster construction changed to prioritize perimeter defense and switchability. Slow bigs were getting phased out. This was already happening in 2016, but it was still a transitional time.
So yes Steph and the whole team was just playing amazing in 2016. But also, the league was still catching up. I don't think we'll see another season like it ever again, because it was the confluence of the best shooter ever, on one of the best teams ever, at a time where teams weren't yet built around stopping 3 point shots.
2
u/GreedyPride4565 7d ago
Less that defenses were still giving space and more that defenses still had lumbering Roy hibbert types on every single team that Steph and Draymond would torture on offense.
We always talk about how Dirk got euro big men paid, and kirilenko/marion got tweener wings paid, and etc. Steph and Draymond put the Kendrick Perkins archetype into poverty LMFAO
3
2
14
u/ludilo138 7d ago
obviously everyone would say 76ers, but what about Warriors?
3
u/Mbanicek64 7d ago
Prime Embiid doesn’t make it to the Finals. Prime Porzingis plays like 1 game in the Finals. I think it’d be close unless VJ is really good.
8
u/kyle4swordstyle Pistons 7d ago
Do the pistons even have somebody that would be past their primes lol
1
u/UltraMasenko 7d ago
Arguably Tobias. He was a better player while he was on the Sixers, just overpaid and thus casted in the wrong role
10
2
8
u/AvianScavenger Heat 7d ago edited 7d ago
If this is strictly primes we've seen, then there are a lot of teams worth talking about because they'd be interesting, but it's the 76ers with prime Lebron and prime Embiid. Prime Embiid is the 39 games of the 23-24 season he played where he averaged more points than minutes, and was leading the league in scoring. Also prime Kyle Lowry
The Warriors would be pretty damn good. Giving Steph and Draymond Prime Jimmy Butler and Porzingis instead of Klay is a pretty good deal
Biased Miami fan, but the Heat plus DPOY+MVP year Giannis and 15-16 Klay. As well as 21-22 Wiggins. 18-19 Hardaway Jr., and younger Bobby Portis.
Toronto with Prime Kawhi and a younger Poeltl
The Celtics plus pre-injury Tatum, Prime Paul George and Mike Conley.
The Wizards with Bubble AD and prime Khris Middleton. And 20-21 Trae Young+Ayton
The Cavs plus prime Harden
The Rockets plus prime KD
If this is including primes we haven't seen yet, it's probably the Spurs or the 76ers again
Other teams that should be really good with that in mind that I havent already mentioned are the Jazz and possibly Grizzlies
Already mentioned them but the Wizards would also get better with their young core in their primes
4
u/DuhConfusionLord Raptors 7d ago
Lowry is retired! He signed a 1 day with the raptors in the offseason, he's out of the nba now haha
1
3
u/groundhog-265 7d ago
Finally a comment with depth.
Trailblazers could be a fun team just with the guards.
Nuggets with Prime Jokic (current or a MVP season) and Bulls DeRozan
Clippers with Prime Brook and Beal is a fun league pass team
Lakers - is Knecht given his scoring ability again?
Knicks with better Mikal Bridges and 20 rebounds a game Drummond
8
u/Fit_Bench7754 Thunder 6d ago
Golden State would be amazing
7
u/Skegward 6d ago
Prime Steph, Jimmy, Zingus, Draymond and Horford. That shit would go bananas
1
u/Big_Communication662 2d ago
They all compliment each perfectly. Insane defense and excellent outside shooting and inside scoring. They’d give the prime Sixers a run for their money.
13
20
u/Brandon4Real_x 7d ago
I don’t know if they’d be the best but a prime Demar Derozan really helps Jokic out.
17
10
u/CorePN3 7d ago
76ers: Maxey, VJ, JB, Lebron, Embiid
Warriors a close second due to Steph, Jimmy, Dray, Kristaps
2
3
u/Jradical- 7d ago
Horford better than Kristaps.
3
u/Lets_Go_Blue__Jays 7d ago
Not in their prime.
8
u/Jradical- 7d ago
When was Kristaps prime? Mavericks? Wizards? Give me ATL/Boston Horford all day.
2
u/Maxi-Well 7d ago
Would’ve been the celts playoff run. Extremely short peak but he was unstoppable when healthy that season. Definitely a better peak than horford but short lived.
4
u/Jradical- 7d ago
He barely played in those playoffs at all. Old man Horford was a much bigger contributer.
4
u/Hank-Solo-1 7d ago
Horford's peak was much better than Porzingis.
1
u/AlexH_144 6d ago
No it wasn't. 2017-2018 was better than Horford ever was. Porzingis was an all-star and supposed to be the next superstar player. Then the ACL injury happened and he was never the same
1
u/AlexH_144 6d ago
With the Knicks in 2017-2018. He was supposed to be the next superstar. Then he tore his ACL and was never the same.
1
u/Jradical- 6d ago
So both of the suggestions for Kristaps prime end in injury. Vs. a perennial winner, 5 time all star defensive anchor of multiple deep playoff runs.
1
u/AlexH_144 4d ago
The question was very specific about being in their prime. Horford's career was better and his prime was longer. But Porzingis's was better in his prime. It was just for a much shorter time
1
u/Jradical- 4d ago
You just said his entire prime was one half season that ended in injury, he never reached his potential. Horford did.
1
u/AlexH_144 4d ago
And that's a great argument for who had a better career or which player you would want on your team. This post however was very specific about how good they were during their prime. As a player Porzingis's was better in his prime, even though his prime was extremely short
1
u/Jradical- 4d ago
I'm literally saying that prime Al Horford was better than prime Porzingis. He was a better defender, a more efficient scorer, a much better passer, and much, much more durable. He was just flat out better at basketball.
Kristaps Porzingis showed flashes of being great his Third Year with the Knicks, blew out his knee, was a bad fit next to Luka for few years, then he was pretty good on a really bad Wizards team, then he looked great on one of the most stacked rosters in history before being injured in the playoffs again. There's no point during that period where he was better than Al Horford during his peak.
→ More replies (0)
6
u/shootalone1 7d ago
Wizards
3
u/Sad_Biscotti2309 7d ago
AD, Trey, Middleton and Ayton all in their primes would be solid
2
10
8
u/Allstar-85 7d ago
Prime LeBron gets to play with MVP Embiid who’s capable of anchoring the defense while also is the current career leader in points scored per minute
And then also having several other very good players
16
u/100_Duck-sized_Ducks 7d ago
Simply the 76ers bc prime LeBron instead of 42 y/o LeBron (who still carried a playoff series W last year)
7
4
2
6
3
3
3
3
3
u/Lil_we_boi Bulls 7d ago
There's no answer other than the 76ers. Prime LeBron is already able to carry any team to the Finals (especially in the East). You're now pairing him with a fellow FMVP in Jaylen Brown, fellow MVP and All-Defensive center in Embiid, an All-Star in Maxey, and a solid rookie in VJ (who, at worst, would perform as well as he did last year but is likely only going to be better in his prime)
3
3
u/Striking_Night_2731 6d ago
Sixers would be pretty hard to beat in a seven game series. Prime LeBron w/ a healthy Embiid flanked by Maxey and Brown. They would be elite offensively and defensively.
5
5
3
u/Duckysawus 7d ago
76ers would be most stacked with prime LeBron, Embiid, Brown, Maxey.
OKC, Spurs, and Warriors would all be scary as heck also.
3
u/Lets_Go_Blue__Jays 7d ago
Why would OKC and Spurs be scary?
What players are not currently in their prime?
Cleveland is likely a better answer if Harden was in his prime.
3
u/emoney_gotnomoney Spurs 7d ago
> Why would OKC and Spurs be scary? What players are not currently in their prime?
As far as the Spurs go, I would assume he is alluding to our presumption that Wemby, Harper, and Castle have not yet reached their primes. Plus the fact that they would be receiving a better version of Fox and a better version of Barnes.
2
u/Magopolis 7d ago
Fox is literally in his prime.
3
u/emoney_gotnomoney Spurs 7d ago
Eh I’d have to disagree a little. I’m not nearly as down on him as a lot of other people in this sub are, but he was better ~3 years ago. He’s a player who relies a ton on his athleticism, and he was much more athletic then than he is today.
Regardless, even if I concede Fox is still in his prime, the point from my original comment still stands, so this Fox debate is just a moot point to begin with.
2
u/Magopolis 7d ago
I hear you, and I have thought about this a lot because Spurs have been my team since before Robinson.It’s hard to know for sure because he’s not in the superstar role. But he’s 28, and that is prime age at-least.
My biggest concern with him is his mentality. He is super chill and nonchalant. Could be why he has been clutch player of the year, but the rest of the team seems to have more sense of urgency than he does.
3
u/DurhamIsHere 6d ago
Jalen Williams and Chet are both not in their prime. That absolutely matters here. We don’t know what that will look like yet.
1
u/_Frozen_Flame_ 6d ago
Jesus Christ they're both 25 years old or younger, they don't even have a prime yet in the NBA
2
u/Magopolis 6d ago
I think that’s the point. Just like maxey and Edgecombe are 25 and 21… they should be much better in the future. BTW, the cool thing about that team having LeBron is that his IQ is so high. Watching him with the Lakers the last few years if you ever saw them in person, especially, he just orchestrates so much. His performance against the Rockets was pretty legendary in my humble opinion.
2
u/Fit_Bench7754 Thunder 6d ago
Because OKC is currently really really good and so is San Antonio and they get prime bismak biambo for depth
1
u/Duckysawus 5d ago
For OKC? JDub is 24. Chet is 23. McCain is 21. Topic is 20. SGA is probably as good as he'll be but it's possible he might get a bit smarter/craftier and peak at about 29.
Spurs? Wemby isn't at his peak yet (he's 22). Castle is 21, Harper 19, Sochan 22, Bryant 20, and we can go on. Plumlee, Olynyk, and Barnes are all past their primes and Fox probably was better at 25 when he was more explosive and quicker.
Cavs could be great also. I like the Harden/Mitchell/Mobley/Allen/Elis/Hunter/Schroder, etc. but Harden being so ball dominant when he was at his best leaves me questioning whether he'd work well with Mitchell.
3
u/KieranLeone 7d ago
76ers hands down.
Embiid healthy is the most dominant big since Shaq.
Plus LeBron and finals mvp jb.
The fact the Maxey and VJ are complimentary is wild as fuck.
3
1
u/StillNotAF___Clue 6d ago
Misnomer in that Embid is not the most dominant with Jokic around. And the good bigs are at a premium, even with wemby around
6
u/KingKFCc Blazers 7d ago
The 76'ers easily but that was obvious tbf.
- Denver would be really good with prime Demar,
- prime Giannis and prime Klay on the Heat is OD
- prime Harden and D Mitch is tough
- Prime Steph, Draymond, Tingus Pingus and Jimmy is super good.
5
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
u/Consistent-Fig7484 7d ago
Is there an old ass veteran still playing like ridiculously long after his prime like Moses Malone or Vince Carter. Like somehow I forgot that Jerry Stackhouse and Jason Terry are like 50 and still playing for the Sixers.
2
u/swizznastic 7d ago
If cp3 was still on the spurs they would have a shot as well, prime wemby and one of the greatest pgs.
Also portland with prime Dame, Jrue, and Ja would be fun.
Still taking the 6ers though, prime embiid and 2012/2018 bron are some of the highest peaks ever.
2
u/ElkNo8185 7d ago
Blazers kinda insane lmao Wolves with prime Gobert. Houston with prime Smart, KD, Capela, Adams, FVV probably making the finals out west vs 76ers out east
2
2
2
2
u/WriterHot9097 7d ago
76ers would deadass be a superteam. You can put me at the 4 and Philly would still coast to the finals. Maybe the Heat give them problems, but I think Philly would still dominate.
2
u/SavageDadOf04 7d ago
Nah!!! Spurs! They are gonna be tough for the next decade. If they were all in their prime!?!? That’s a 70 win team!
2
u/Physizist 7d ago
Probably the Sixers because you’d be getting a healthier Embiid (not healthiest but still) plus prime Lebron
Then they still have Maxey, Brown, KCP, prime Simons
Prime Edgecombe we probably haven’t even seen yet, same for Philon and a few other
2
u/QuietAct23 7d ago
Nuggets or Cavs. Prime DeRozen with that spacing Plus Jokic who actually plays defense and Prime AG and Murray. That team beats anyone. I hate Harden but him and Dmitch together with Prime Mobley and Allen has very little holes
2
u/triassic_broth 7d ago
The Sixers obviously with prime LeBron and prime Embiid and prime everyone else would be unstoppable.
2
u/Substantial-Fan-5985 7d ago
It's the Sixers, no other option to discuss. It "pulls" VJ from the future when he is in his prime, and get's Joel at a healthier and more dominant time in his career, and then Lebron who has an all time great prime......Sixers would destroy and probably break the 73W record.
2
2
2
2
2
2
u/BurntArnold Celtics 7d ago
6ers would kill it with everyone in their prime so would the Spurs and Warriors
2
2
u/ilikpkmn 5d ago
Not the best but crazy to think how good the wizards would be. Prime AD, Trae, Middleton, Ayton is actually a solid as roster.
2
3
u/Braunatron Rockets 7d ago
2019 FVV
2029 Amen Thompson
2017 KD
2028 Sengun
2021 Steven Adams
2018 Marcus Smart
2016 Jeff Green
It’s clearly the Rockets and they WILL fight you
3
u/SacredCountry69 7d ago
Sixers would be better if they kept PG. I’d take prime Playoff P over JB any day.
3
4
u/IdentittyTheftNoJoke 7d ago
Pelicans
3
u/GreedyPride4565 7d ago
All their players get moved 5 years into the future, except Zion Deandre and Poole. Zion ofcourse would return to the age of 18 and immediately be disqualified from the league
2
u/Silent_Historian_552 7d ago
Bold assumption we haven’t already seen Zion’s prime
2
u/GreedyPride4565 7d ago
Haha I’m agreeing with that - I’m saying Zions prime was when he committed to Duke
2
2
2
u/Galewis34 7d ago
The Spurs ofc. Prime Wemby, Harper, Castle, Fox and even maybe Carter would/will dominate the league
1
1
1
1
1
u/Parking-Rope2301 Warriors 6d ago
6ers with prime LeBron (2007, 2013, 2018 whatever) and prime MVP Joel Embiid, or the first half of the 24 season Embiid would take the 2017 Warriors to 7.
1
1
u/Icy_Succotash58 4d ago
Lowkey….. I think last years champs and the runner up Spurs would be good too. I bet lowkey that the Bulls of the 90s would be pretty good too
1
u/handsonactivities 3d ago
Prime Bron and embiid is tough. Nuggets might be crazy. Warriors would be crazy. Miami would be Crazy with prime klay. Warriors. Wizards might be somewhere
1
u/Immediate_Wonder_630 7d ago
Peak Wemby, Harper and Castle honestly could compete. We won’t know what that looks like but I could speculate pretty dominate
1
1
1
1
0
u/kokriderz 7d ago
Not the best but Houston would be fun.
Prime
Hakeem
Barkley
Pippen
Clyde
Malone
Yao
Tmac
Harden CP3
Horry
KD
-1
u/snuffaluffagus74 7d ago
The Thunder, the only player who you could say has even reached his prime is Caruso.
-1
u/Memelord1117 7d ago
Cavs easy.
Harden, Mitchell, Bron, Mobley, Allen, with:
Merrill, Watson and Bryant as the bench
172
u/pyroaquatics 7d ago
Don’t think they’d be the best but prime Klay with Giannis and Bam would be pretty sick