For the first time in franchise history, the Philadelphia 76ers will have an unprecedented roster consisting of four NBA All-Stars: LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown and Tyrese Maxey.
However, this stacked lineup on paper would still need health and availability to work in its favor, especially their starting center, who has been battling injuries throughout his career.
The 2023 NBA MVP’s two-way dominance will remain the catalyst for success and end their more than four decades without a championship.
Philadelphia’s vision for a title started in 2014 when it drafted Embiid as its third overall pick out of Kansas. Since then, the 76ers began their new franchise mantra of “Trust the Process,” referring to it as their brand of building a long-term championship team around Embiid.
When healthy, the 32-year-old is a nightmare matchup on both ends of the floor, and his career averages of 27.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists are solid evidence of this.
Embiid racked up 26.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists last season, but only played 38 games. It showed that he is still Philadelphia’s most valuable player. If he were fully healthy and rested during the playoffs, Embiid would have been a great matchup for New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns; instead, they got swept in the second round.
Even basketball Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady boldly claimed during an episode of the “Cousins Podcast” that the 76ers’ chances of winning a title depend on Embiid’s durability and availability.
“If Joel Embiid ain’t healthy, it ain’t working,” McGrady said.
The former two-time NBA scoring champion and seven-time NBA All-Star’s statement is valid, given how the competition in the Eastern Conference continues to be a gauntlet. If Embiid is out, the core of James, Brown and Maxey likely won’t be able to go all the way.
The 7-foot center should win his battle against his injuries, such as multiple knee issues, an oblique injury, and his most recent, an appendectomy surgery in April. Philadelphia could have won more than 45 games to secure a higher seed and avoided the Play-In Tournament if Embiid played more than 38 games.
However, with the addition of James and Brown, his workload on both ends will be eased, and his playing time could be lessened significantly. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse knows a thing or two about load management, which helped the Toronto Raptors capture the 2019 NBA title with Kawhi Leonard’s minutes restriction in the regular season.
Philadelphia has successfully built a loaded and balanced supporting cast for Embiid with its offseason additions. Still, the 76ers won’t be able to lift the prestigious Larry O’Brien Trophy in June if Embiid can't stay on the court, especially if the team goes deep into the postseason.
