Charles Barkley Doubles-Down on Calling Philadelphia 76ers 'Sleepers'

Philadelphia 76ers legend Charles Barkley hasn't been shy about his positive opinion on the Sixers as the playoffs slowly approach.

Charles Barkley is never one to stay silent with his opinion regarding any player or team. And when it comes to the Philadelphia 76ers, the former Sixer tends to be quite critical -- especially when he's discussing the status of the team's top All-Star, Joel Embiid. Lately, however, Barkley has had nothing but positive things to say about the 76ers as the NBA moves closer towards a resumed season.

"I'll tell you what, the one team in the Eastern Conference that scares the hell out of me — I don't want to see Ben (Simmons) and Joel (Embiid) and Tobias Harris," Barkley told NBC Sports Philadelphia this week. "I would not want to play the 76ers in the playoffs. 

"Other than Giannis (Antetokounmpo) — I want to make sure I don't leave anybody out — the Sixers are going to have the best two players against any team in the Eastern Conference. With the exception of Giannis, any team they play in the Eastern Conference, they're going to have the two best players on the court in every series — except against the Milwaukee Bucks."

Does that sound familiar? Probably because it is. Just a little over a week ago, Barkley joined ESPN's 'Get Up' and mentioned two of his top sleeper teams for this year's playoffs coming from each conference. For the West, Barkley picked the Portland Trail Blazers. For the East, he liked the Philadelphia 76ers. It hasn't been long since he initially made the claim that the Sixers could be dangerous in this year's abnormal playoff setting -- but the former 76ers legend is sticking to his guns on this one.

Of course, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid would have to remain healthy for Barkley to keep his opinion. As we know, both of the Sixers' All-Stars have had their injury battles this season. While Simmons and Embiid are expected to be healthy once the playoffs roll around -- they still have to get through training camp 2.0 and the eight-game regular-season finale, hopefully with no issues.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_