The Philadelphia 76ers saw their 2023-24 season end in disappointment, as they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the New York Knicks. Disappointing finishes to campaigns have become a theme in this Joel Embiid era in Philadelphia and the 30-year-old shared what he believes is the reason behind it.
“All of them lasted one year, that’s the problem,” Embiid said when asked about all the different iterations of the 76ers in his time with the franchise. “You look at who won last year. Denver, they won last year. Jamal (Murray) (and) Nikola (Jokic), they’ve been together for what? Eight years? Something like that. Seven.
“You look at some of the teams that have won, Golden State Warriors, they have been together for a long time,” Embiid continued. “So, I don’t remember the last time you just put a team together and hope that it worked out for one year. So yeah, that’s needed.”
(starts at 3:00 mark):
Continuity really is ever so important. We see that with the Denver Nuggets, as Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray have been teammates since 2016. Michael Porter Jr. has been with the franchise since 2018 and the three of them have grown up together. They know each other inside out and have now led the Nuggets to a championship.
Meanwhile in Philadelphia, a lot of changes have been made in Embiid’s time with the 76ers. In 2018, Jimmy Butler arrived via trade but just a year later, he was sent to the Miami Heat in a sign-and-trade. In that lone season that Butler and Embiid were together, it took a Kawhi Leonard buzzer-beater in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals to knock them out.
Then in 2021, Ben Simmons wanted out and he got his wish in 2022. He was traded to the Brooklyn Nets, with James Harden arriving in Philadelphia. Then in 2024, Harden wanted out and was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. While Embiid could perhaps be blamed to an extent for Simmons’ departure, he wasn’t the reason why the other two left.
Would the 76ers have won a championship by now, if Butler was still there? I am not certain, considering how often Embiid has been injured and has underperformed in the playoffs, but they would have fared better than they have since he left.
Joel Embiid Says Tyrese Maxey Was One Of The 10 Best Players In The World This Season
While the season ended in disappointment, there was one big positive to come out of this campaign for the 76ers, Tyrese Maxey. Embiid thinks very highly of Maxey as well, with the seven-time All-Star claiming he was one of the 10 best players in the world this season. (starts at the 1:43 mark in the above video):
“He’s taken a step and he was amazing this year,” Embiid said. “One of the 10 best players in the world this year and you’ve finally got the chance to build around it.”
I wouldn’t go as far as to say Maxey was a top-10 player in the league, but he did have a great season. The 23-year-old averaged 25.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game in this 2023-24 season.
Maxey won Most Improved Player for his excellent performances over the course of the season and looks set to be a perennial All-Star. He and Embiid are quite the duo and give the 76ers hope that maybe one day they will lead the franchise to a championship.
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