Joel Embiid Does Not Want LeBron James & 76ers’ Star Teammates Sacrificing

Joel Embiid feels the 76ers can figure out how to win without anyone having to sacrifice every night.

Joel Embiid Does Not Want LeBron James & 76ers’ Star Teammates Sacrificing

Joel Embiid (Image credits - Yahoo Sports)

Joel Embiid has completed 10 seasons in the NBA. Drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers with the No. 3 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, Embiid has won an MVP award, two scoring titles, and multiple All-NBA selections.

Despite his regular-season achievements, Embiid has struggled to translate them into the postseason due to injuries or underwhelming performances. Nicknamed as the “The Process”, he has never led the 76ers beyond the second round of the playoffs.

Embiid has played with some big names over the years. He has played alongside Jimmy Butler, Ben Simmons, James Harden, Paul George, and many more throughout his career but has not been able to make that deep postseason run.

Following another second-round exit last season where they were clean-swept by the New York Knicks, the 76ers knew they needed to make some big changes to compete for a championship. They kicked off their offseason by trading for Jaylen Brown before signing LeBron James as a free agent.

Surrounded by so many stars, the 76ers have the most dominant starting five heading into the new season. However, the big question is how the star-studded roster will adjust to each other.

With three players capable of being the first option and James, who can pick and choose his moments, Embiid believes nobody needs to sacrifice on this team.

I’m against the concept of sacrificing. I think the way I explained it was you do what you do best and we’re going to support you. I don’t think anybody has to take a backseat.

Joel Embiid in his media scrum

It is going to take the 76ers some time to build their team chemistry. They will need to set their egos aside as they look to deliver the franchise their first championship since 1983.

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Joel Embiid and LeBron James suffer their first preseason loss together

Both Embiid and LeBron James were playing just their second game together since the latter’s arrival in Philly. In James’ preseason debut for the 76ers, they won against the Brooklyn Nets. James earned praise for his performance, while Embiid drew criticism for a lackluster showing.

However, he put in a much better showing on Friday night against the Boston Celtics. The star-studded roster played all key starters except VJ Edgecombe for over 25 minutes on average. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough, as they fell to a 125-120 defeat at the Xfinity Mobile Arena.

James took a backseat and seemed to “sacrifice” a bit, finishing with eight points, eight rebounds, and seven assists, and shooting 4-for-9 from the field. Meanwhile, the remaining big three all had 20+ points.

Embiid led the scorers with 27 points, while Jaylen Brown and Tyrese Maxey finished with 22 and 20 points, respectively. All of them looked efficient and lethal on offense, but they are still far from figuring out the winning formula with this roster. However, Embiid believes that no one needs to take a backseat for the greater goal.

Kevin Garnett believes that the 76ers are not Joel Embiid’s team

When Joel Embiid was picked by the 76ers 12 years ago, he was the heart and soul of “The Process”. While things haven’t panned out the way they wanted, it looks like it’s finally reached its final stage.

Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey
Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey (Image credits – PhillyVoice)

Embiid has been the undisputed franchise superstar since entering the league. However, Tyrese Maxey made significant inroads last season when Embiid was injured.

Former NBA champion Kevin Garnett made it clear that this is not Embiid’s team anymore.

This is Tyrese Maxey’s team. Joel Embiid played 30 games. Listen, this can’t be your team and play 20, 25, 30, 35 games. When you put on the hat and you say this is your team, you play 70-80+.

Durability has been a concern for Embiid throughout his career. In the last three years, the big man hasn’t played more than 40 games because of major injuries. However, with enough firepower around him for the upcoming season, Embiid and his teammates will need to win the title next year.

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