The Philadelphia 76ers were already looking at a wide-open Eastern Conference next season. Little did they know that their biggest rival will help them make it even more of a snooze fest, especially for Joel Embiid.
You don’t get to win by standing still and doing nothing, but the 76ers would like a special exception. As of this very moment, the team has not yet pulled off any moves, but the team had already seen a couple of things go to their favor.
To make things even sweeter, their biggest rival, the Celtics, have gotten even weaker. Having already lost Jayson Tatum to an Achilles tear and shedding Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, Boston also saw their remaining viable center, Luke Kornet, go to San Antonio.
Who is now their new Embiid stopper, you say? Well, get ready to learn some (drum roll please) Luka Garza.
76ers and Joel Embiid are poised to dominate the Luka Garza-led Celtics front court
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Boston has signed Garza to a fully guaranteed two-year, $5.5 million deal in an attempt to cope with the loss of Kornet and the probable exit of veteran big man Al Horford.
Now, the Celtics have become pretty frail at center, which means that Embiid should have little to no problem acing the test against Boston. As a lot of talking heads know, Horford and company have given the 2023 Most Valuable Player fits on multiple occasions. That is definitely not happening with the less experienced Garza.
The 26-year-old has registered just 7.8 minutes per game in his entire career, and has not really gotten a consistent role nor a fair shake just yet. He could put up much better campaigns with a bigger role in Boston next season, but dealing with Embiid would be a mountainous task for him and the Celtics.
As long as health permits, Joel Embiid should be poised for a huge comeback season. He only managed to appear in 19 outings in the recently concluded campaign, but as the 76ers have confirmed, he should be ready to go in time for training camp.
Soon enough, the Philadelphia 76ers will be back to making their own moves this offseason. But even as constructed, they already have everything going for them to mount a demolition job against their biggest rival next season, even though it will not feel nearly the same without their best player.