The Philadelphia 76ers’ future seemed bleak a year ago at this time. James Harden requested a trade. Tyrese Maxey has yet to establish himself as an official All-Star. Plus, Joel Embiid, the NBA’s MVP at the time, and the 76ers were both reeling from another heartbreaking playoff elimination.
The 76ers’ president of basketball operations, Daryl Morey, and the franchise’s other leaders repeatedly told the star to be patient and that they would build a championship-caliber squad for him. Embiid acknowledged that he wasn’t always confident that Morey and the 76ers’ plan would be successful, even though they were able to sign nine-time All-Star Paul George in free agency this offseason. Philadelphia was able to do this by being frugal with its resources over the past year.
“I’d be lying to say that patience wasn’t tested,” Embiid said. “Because I’ve reached the point where no honors, no regular season, no All-NBA or All-Stars will affect the way my career is remembered. There are many factors that might influence this, the most important of which is the championship. So, when you consider how you want to be remembered, you want to be remembered as a winner.
“When you are given a plan, it might go wrong or well. We still have a long way to go. On paper, it looks fantastic. But we still need to go on the court and make it work.”
Morey’s strategy for Embiid was simple: the 76ers would ultimately agree to Harden’s trade request, but only if it either returned a great player or left Philadelphia with the means to acquire one. The 76ers finally traded Harden and P.J. Tucker to the LA Clippers for expiring contracts and draft capital, freeing them salary room to pursue a maximum free agent.
While Embiid says he’ll let the media determine if he, George, and Maxey — all All-Stars a year ago — comprised the NBA’s finest “Big Three,” he wasn’t hesitant about how well he thinks the three of them will play together with the 76ers.
“Yeah, I think as far as the fit, it looks amazing,” Embiid said. “It’s excellent, particularly if you have a huge… I don’t want to refer to myself as a big, but when you have a player who posts and isos often, you need willing shooters and players who aren’t scared to hit the trigger. Tyrese is a fantastic shooter, off the dribble, catch-and-shoot.
“On paper, and as far as the fit, it looks fantastic because you got both guys that can play off the ball, and they can play on the ball and they’re great shooters and they can handle the ball, and then you also got me,” he said with an air of approval. “So, yeah, it looks great.”
Embiid used the word “on paper” many times throughout the interview before outlining the 76ers’ current situation, which included applauding Kelly Oubre Jr.’s retention and the additions of Caleb Martin, Andre Drummond, and Eric Gordon.
However, due to both Embiid’s and George’s extensive injury histories throughout their careers, the same term has been repeated often in league and media talks regarding the 76ers since Embiid joined.
What has Embiid most thrilled about this club, however, is that he feels the arrival of George and the blossoming of Maxey will relieve some of the burden on him to dominate in the same manner every night.
Embiid is coming off a season in which he averaged 34.7 points in 39 games. Despite missing a significant portion of the season due to a knee injury, he was well on his way to becoming only the second player in NBA history to accomplish this feat, joining Wilt Chamberlain.
“It makes me excited because I think that actually might keep me healthy,” stated Joel Embiid. “I don’t have to push myself and ensure that I have 30, 40 every night for us to win; I can let them do their thing.
“There will be nights when they have it going, which is fantastic… but if I have 10 or 15 points, that’s good as well. But there will be some evenings like that, as well as times when I have it going. So it all balances out at the end of the day. But I believe the aim is just to enable those players to be themselves so I don’t have to… in the playoffs, that’s a different situation. Now we can get underway. But in the regular season, just let them feel good about themselves and perform well.”
Only time will tell whether Embiid and the 76ers can finally make the playoffs now that he is totally healed and ready. Embiid and his teammates will start training for the next season with a whole different group of players—but one that is very talented—in between. And, although he’s enthusiastic about the fit, he admits it will take some time for everything to come together.
“It feels like you’re starting from scratch,” he told me. “I know there will be a lot of growing pains. But you just have to keep it together.
“The aim is always to win the title, but it does not happen quickly. Ideally, it doesn’t take as long as it should to get everyone on the same page and make sure everyone understands their position and what they need to do to ensure that we meet our objective.
How many All-Stars does Embiid have?
Joel Embiid is a highly decorated player, and that includes being a seven-time NBA All-Star. He’s been selected to participate in the All-Star game many times throughout his career.
Who is Embiid sponsored by?
Joel Embiid’s current sponsor is Skechers. He signed a multi-year endorsement deal with them in April 2024. Previously, he had a signature shoe with Under Armour.
