The Philadelphia 76ers can win the East. Here’s why

2.    Joel Embiid becomes Savage Embiid

What made the NBA fanbase embrace Joel Embiid earlier in his career was not just his immaculate skill set, but his banter that separated him from many other young stars. He salivated at the trash talk, even making an enemy out of Russell Westbrook (Which is not a hard thing to do. Just ask Pat Beverley).

It was the chip on his shoulder that made Embiid play with such force. Over the last two years, that fire has seemed to go out. Whether it’s the demands of being a franchise player, a new outlook on life, or something else that we aren’t privy to, who knows. Joel Embiid has to get back to, and even exceed, the mindset that he came into the league with.

I’m not saying that he has to go off the rails, but Embiid is the type of player that plays well when his fire is lit. Shaq and Chuck lit into Embiid in the 2019-20 campaign in their telecast for NBA on TNT prior to the Sixers playing the Celtics. Embiid responded with 38 points and 13 rebounds. If Joel can turn it on nightly, opposing centers will not like seeing the Sixers on their schedule.