Stephen A. Smith believes the Sixers are better than the Knicks: "If George is what he is supposed to be, they don't come before Philly"

The Philadelphia 76ers have emerged as one of the top favorites to win the 2025 NBA championship after they added All-Star forward Paul George to their team without giving up anything.

Philly is currently second behind the Boston Celtics in the latest Las Vegas odds boards as title favorites next season, overtaking the Oklahoma City Thunder and New York Knicks , who also made significant upgrades this summer.

There's so much optimism about the Sixers right now that even diehard Knicks fan Stephen A. Smith thinks Philly is a notch higher than the Knickerbockers.

"If Paul George is what Paul George is supposed to be, as much as I love my Knicks - orange and blue skies baby, they don't come before Philly and Boston." said the ESPN's analyst during his appearance on The OGs Show.

PG is a good fit with the Sixers

The Clippers released George at the start of the free agency period, and the Sixers swooped in, beating several teams to the gun in signing the 9-time NBA All-Star. With PG added, the Sixers now have a Big 3 of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and him.

Adding George gives the Sixers, not just another superstar who can take over when needed. He is also an excellent three-point shooter, especially in catch-and-shoot situations, which complements Embiid's low-post game and alleviates the scoring pressure on Maxey. Because of PG's fit, Smith puts them right behind the champs in his early rankings.

"We know Boston is on another level," said Smith. "They're the champions. They're the reigning defending champions and we'll see what happens with them. But Embiid, with Maxey and Paul George? Yes, I believe in that. That's big."

Smith was happy about the Knicks adding Bridges

Before the Sixers acquired PG, Stephen A. was head over heels high after his beloved Knicks landed former Brooklyn Nets swingman Mikal Bridges in a trade. However, while Smith liked Bridges coming to them , he also said they needed one more piece.

"You crawl before you walk," added Smith. "We crawled last year, we gonna walk, and we close the sprint. I still think we need another piece. But we have moved in the right direction. I like this! Go, New York, Go, New York, go!"

The Knicks have done a great job this offseason, mitigating the loss of Isaiah Hartenstein by adding a key piece in Bridges and re-signing OG Anunoby. However, if Stephen A. doesn't think they are better than the Sixers, he must be telling the truth because that's a guy who bleeds orange and blue.

Related: "It'd been dope, man. I was looking forward to it, if it happened" - Paul George details how close he got to being traded to Golden State