LAS VEGAS – This time a year ago, the Philadelphia 76ers were looking at a very uncertain future.
James Harden demanded a trade. Tyrese Maxey had yet to establish himself as a full-fledged All-Star. And the 76ers and Joel Embiid – who was the NBA’s most valuable player at the time – were both coming off another disappointing second-round playoff exit.
The message from the franchise – especially 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey – to their star, was clear and consistent: Be patient, and we will provide you with a championship-level team. But when Morey and the 76ers landed Paul George in free agency this offseason — something Philadelphia could only do by being judicious with its resources over the past year to get the maximum required to sign the nine-time All-Star — Embiid Cap space can be created. ESPN admitted that they were not always sure the plan would be successful.
“It would be a lie to say that patience wasn’t tested,” Embiid told ESPN. “Because I’m at the point where no awards, no regular season or no All-NBA or All-Stars is going to change the way my legacy is going to be. Well, there’s a few things that could change it, but the main One is championships. So when you start thinking about what you want to be remembered for, you want to be remembered as a winner.
“When a plan is presented to you, sometimes it gets it wrong, sometimes it gets it right. We still have a long way to go. It looks great on paper. But we “Still got to get on the court and make it work.”
The plan Morey presented to Embiid was straightforward: The 76ers would eventually accept Harden’s trade demand, but only if he either brought back a star player in return or left Philadelphia with the resources necessary to get one. . The 76ers ultimately shipped Harden to the LA Clippers along with PJ Tucker, and got an expiring contract and draft capital back in return, opening up the cap space needed to sign Max the free agent.
And while Embiid declined to say whether he, George and Maxi — All-Stars a year ago — formed the NBA’s best big three, saying it was left up to the media to decide. Well, he wasn’t shy about how well he thinks they will get along on the court with the 76ers.
“Yeah, I think as far as the fit, it looks amazing,” Embiid told ESPN. “It’s great, especially when you get a big opportunity… I don’t like to call myself big, but when you get a player who performs well and he performs well enough, your Need pass willing shooters and players that aren’t afraid to pull the trigger, great shooter, 40%, 45 catch-and-shoot, we know great shooters, dribble, catch-and-shoot;
“On paper, and as far as the fit goes, it looks great because you have both players who can play off the ball, and they can make plays on the ball and they’re great shooters and they can handle the ball. , And then you also have me,” he added, smiling.
“So, yes, it feels great.”
Embiid used the phrase “on paper” a few times during the interview before describing how the 76ers look at the moment, including praise for the retention of Kelly Oubre Jr. and the signings of Caleb Martin, Andre Drummond and Eric Gordon. also includes.
But the same phrase has been used frequently in discussions in the league and media about the 76ers since Embiid’s signing due to both Embiid and George’s long injury histories during their careers.
What Embiid is particularly excited about about this team, however, is that he believes the addition of George and the emergence of Maxi will take some of the pressure off him to dominate in the same way on a nightly basis. It is possible
Embiid is coming off a season where he averaged 34.7 points per game in 39 games, missing a large portion of the season due to a knee injury, and is on pace to become the second player to score more points, along with Wilt Chamberlain. But it was. Compared to minutes played over the course of a season.
“It excites me, because I think it can really keep me healthy,” Embiid said. “I don’t have to stress myself out and make sure we have to score 30, 40 every night to win and I can let them do their thing.
“There’s going to be some nights where they keep it going and that’s OK… but if I have 10 or 15 (points), yeah that’s OK. But there’s going to be some nights like that, and then there’s going to be some nights where I’m driving it. So at the end of the day everything is even, but I think the goal is just to let those guys be themselves so I don’t have to go into the playoffs, that’s another thing.” Story. Now we can move on. But in a regular season, just let them feel good about themselves and play well.”
Only time will tell if Embiid and the 76ers ultimately make a playoff run when he’s fully healthy and ready to go. However, in the meantime, Embiid and his teammates will begin preparing for another season with a very different roster around them — albeit one that is just as talented. And while he’s excited to get fit, he admitted it will take some time for things to come together.
“It feels like you’re starting from scratch,” he said. “And I know there’s going to be a lot of growing pains. But you just have to keep it together.”
“The goal is always to win championships, but it doesn’t happen overnight. And hopefully when you’re trying to get everybody on the same stage and make sure it doesn’t take us as long as it should. ” Everyone knows their role and what they have to do to make sure we achieve that goal.
“But we’re going to do the best we can.”
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