The Philadelphia 76ers are playing so well that they have managed to remain undefeated through four games. However, as is the case with everything good in this sport and league, people will always find a brand new agenda to push. With this group, the slowly rising narrative is the fact that they are better off without Joel Embiid.
That is pure nonsense.
Thanks to Tyrese Maxey playing like someone who has not eaten in months and VJ Edgecombe looking like the second coming of Dwyane Wade, people have forgotten that Embiid is still the most accomplished player on this roster. People can still make a case about him being their best player if only we are to consider the basketball aspect of things, yet others want to completely take him out of the loop.
Embiid will be a sine qua non condition to this 76ers team reaching great heights this season. That is a static truth that cannot just be tossed aside. Hopefully, the former Most Valuable Player (emphasis supplied) will tune out such noise.
The 76ers still need Joel Embiid — and the naysayers can back off
The way some people are talking about Embiid makes it seem like he is already in the twilight of his career. Sure, injuries have bugged him incessantly to the point where he probably will not contend for MVP anymore, but he is still one hell of a player who will make a world of difference for the 76ers when the games start mattering more.
Embiid sputtered right out of the gates during the team’s season-opener against Boston, but since then, he has been, well, Embiid. He has scored 45 points in his last 43 minutes in the hardwood, and even a strict minutes restriction has not disrupted his ability to go get a basket with such ease and skill.
The 76ers have a guard-heavy scoring attack at the moment, but Embiid’s presence will make the team even more lethal and well-rounded on that end. In all honesty, he is the only reliable back to the basket player on the roster, and those are the kind of stars you need to make life easier for the team during high-stakes games when shot creation becomes more difficult with defenses more intent on slowing down schemes.
It takes a village to raise a contender, but the 76ers are lucky in that they already have the necessary talent to be in the title loop. Still, any and all scenarios of them being successful this season involve Joel Embiid, the man who pieces everything together for this group.
Don’t let the others tell you otherwise.