Austin Rivers and Pausha Haghighi analyze the talented backcourt of the 76ers that includes VJ Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes, Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain, debating if Philadelphia "can compete" in the Eastern Conference.

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid responded in kind to a Washington Wizards fan who had been taunting the team Tuesday night.

PHILADELPHIA — When a team with so much expectation for a season goes through 82 games and wins 24 of them, the next year can go a couple of ways. The spiral could continue. The frustration can linger. And almost everything can fall apart. Or maybe reinforcements can be made and lessons can be learned.

Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe have combined for 186 points, the most by a starting backcourt in a team's first three games of a season since 1970-71.

NBA legend Charles Barkley has a knack for making interviews awesome on his ‘Inside the NBA’ program, and when two of the Philadelphia 76ers’ biggest young stars came on the program this week the segment definitely didn’t miss RELATED: NBA legend questions whether LeBron James is faking injury after missing 5 games The 76ers are

"We said if we got the game to 10 points, we were going to find a way to win," Maxey said. "We got the game to 10. We found a way to win."

The Philadelphia 76ers are the feel-good story of the young NBA season. The depression of Joel Embiid's real-time demise and the buyer's remorse on Paul George's contract have been pushed into the shadows as the league's most electric young backcourt has stepped into the spotlight.

ESPN's crew of Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith has found a new home on the network one season after leaving TNT, with Barkley making people laugh and the others playing their familiar roles.