The Philadelphia 76ers have a very tough season ahead of them. Not from a talent perspective. Obviously. They have all the talent in the world. But when it comes to balancing that with team chemistry, this year will be hard. And Joel Embiid may be the guy who has to take the biggest back seat of everyone on the roster.
At his best, Embiid is one of the best centers on the planet. He’s unbelievably talented on both ends of the court. A dominant scorer. An elite defender. But he’s never on the court consistently enough to help the Sixers at the highest level. And with LeBron James, Jaylen Brown, and Tyrese Maxey ready to help lead the way, Embiid should willingly take a step behind them.
When Embiid is healthy, the Sixers can let him go to work. There will be possessions, even games, when he should sit in the driver’s seat. But for the most part, he should play second fiddle.
Joel Embiid should let rest of 76ers take the lead
For years, Embiid has been the top dog in town. The guy on the Sixers whom they could go to and let the offense run through him. But then, when he was out, the Sixers changed the way they played.
Embiid’s post-heavy, slow-mo approach was vastly different from how Maxey liked to play. He wanted to play fast. Up-tempo. And that’s how James and Brown can help Maxey.
If the 76ers play a faster style of basketball, which they probably should, based on the personnel they have, they should lean into those three guys. And Embiid ball should be their second option.
The unfortunate reality of the situation is that Embiid hasn’t been healthy enough for the 76ers to officially build around him. To plan everything they want to do around the way he can play.
Because Embiid’s play style was dominant. Teams couldn’t slow him down when he was on a roll. But he’s just not on the court consistently enough for the Sixers to play that way all the time.
And now that the Sixers have more talent on the roster than ever, there’s no reason for them to avoid feeding into top-end talent that they now have on the roster around Embiid.
Again, Philly can still play Embiid ball sometimes. But it shouldn’t be their go-to play style. And with that, it’s up to Embiid to adapt to the way they play on a night-to-night basis.
Running faster. Setting more screens. Playing off the ball. He should help James, Brown, and Maxey be their best selves rather than worrying about him taking the lead.
Add us as a preferred source on Google