Joel Embiid had one of his best personal seasons last year and won himself the League’s MVP award in the mix. He seems determined to back to the court and dominate. But unlike most other teams, the Philadelphia 76ers have a lot of issues that they haven’t solved yet. This should be a major point of concern as the Sixers are struggling to make it past the second round of the playoffs, which they haven’t done since 2001.
Several experts have now placed the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks as top title contenders from the East. But the MVP believes his team is being slept on. He said, “Who says they surpassed us? We still gotta go out there and compete. You can do whatever you want off the court, but you still gotta go out there and put the ball in the hoop. I believe any team that I’m on, we’re always going to have a chance. You just need to be a little bit lucky, you need to stay healthy, and as a team just come together.”
“Who says they surpassed us?”
– Joel Embiid on the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics
(Via @NBAKrell ) pic.twitter.com/yBd4tmBrPL
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 2, 2023
The Bucks have paired Damian Lillard with Giannis Antetounmpo, a duo that the league will dread playing against next season. Boston let go of Marcus Smart but added Kristaps Porzingis in June. They also recently traded for Jrue Holiday, a perfect replacement for Smart. However, the Sixers are still struggling to sort things out with James Harden. This might backfire against Joel Embiid if the 76ers don’t work things out.
Joel Embiid claims the Sixers need consistency to avoid second-round exits
Since James Harden’s arrival, things haven’t changed at all. They had two second-round exits and they still cannot seem to get passed the Celtics, whom Embiid believes the Sixers can surpass. Boston and Milwaukee have rosters that dominate on all aspects of the floor. The Sixers have not shown great chemistry over the last year and a half which is a bit concerning. And with Harden’s recent falling out of the Sixers, there will be a lot of tension in the locker room.
Jrue Holiday is being traded to the Celtics, per @wojespn pic.twitter.com/afGZEO9mPX
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 1, 2023
Joel Embiid blamed the Sixers’ playoff struggles on the lack of consistency. He said, “We’ve never had consistency. Every summer it’s been changes here and there. I feel like at some point, if you want to win, you need to have that consistency. I think that’s the next step for us. You see the other teams. Denver just won a championship. They’ve been together for so many years. Golden State has been doing it for a long time. You need to be consistent.”
In Embiid’s defense, the 76ers have witnessed several roster changes over the last few seasons. But things got out of control when Ben Simmons pushed for a trade. Unfortunately, Harden’s stint has met a similar fate except that the feud is over a botched deal. All this ruckus causes a lot of pressure and unnecessary disruption within the locker room. This ultimately affects on-court activities.
