Joel Embiid quietly issued a stern warning the 76ers cannot afford to ignore

The Philadelphia 76ers have been up-and-down as of late, but if there is one huge silver lining that has come out from their recent stretch, it is the sterling play by Joel Embiid. But despite the team reveling in having his peak form back, the superstar himself is seemingly not content with this group ahead of the trade deadline, which is perfectly justified.

Shortly after beating the Kings in a narrow contest, Embiid was asked about whether he wants to see changes to the roster with the February 5 trade deadline looming. He responded by making a quiet, but sharp reference to the front office’s MO in recent years, which is ducking the luxury tax and prioritizing financial flexibility over doubling down on winning.

To quote Embiid, “In the past we’ve been ducking the tax, so hopefully we think about improving”. It is pretty apparent that the superstar wants the front office to do something in the trade market to bolster this team’s chances of making a deep playoff run. And this time around, the 76ers simply cannot ignore his quiet, but resounding plea.

Joel Embiid sends a strong message to the 76ers with the trade deadline looming

As talented and loaded the 76ers are, not a lot of people have them penciled into the inner circle of title contenders this season — and it is rather easy to see why. This squad has shown the ability to win against anyone and anywhere, but is has likewise proven that it is just as capable dropping games to teams much inferior to them. Consistency has been a glaring issue, so to speak.

Aside from that, Philadelphia is still riddled with the same issues that already existed before this campaign kicked off.

For one, bench scoring remains a gaping roster hole. The 76ers have the fourth-lowest scoring second unit in the league thanks in large part to their expected bench catalysts failing to deliver the goods for the most part. Quentin Grimes, who is on an expiring deal, has been pretty disappointing since his hot start to the season. Jared McCain has yet to regain his mojo after missing a long time due to injuries.

Rebounding is still a point of concern. Outside of grabbing offensive boards, the 76ers have been subpar in the department. They are the seventh-worst squad in ending possessions with a defensive rebound, which is something they need to address before the playoff begin where they will be facing more physically imposing teams.

Three-point shooting could be much improved. Philly ranks near or at the bottom-third of the league in made triples, attempts from three-point territory, and three-point shooting percentage. Given their litany of shot creators, that is simply an unacceptable status quo which the front office should urgently look to change.

As outlined, the 76ers have a lot of issues to rectify, meaning that there is a lot of room for improvement. Now, it is incumbent on the front office to yield to what Joel Embiid is quietly demanding, lest they want to punt another campaign where their superstar is functioning like an MVP candidate.