The return of the NBA is right around the corner, and although it will be in much different circumstances, the storylines will continue. Plenty of teams still have a lot to prove in the NBA’s upcoming return – some want to maintain the respect they gained, others want more, and there are a couple who believe they deserve at least a bit.
In the Eastern Conference, among the most challenged are the Philadelphia 76ers. It’s a team with a talented core but greatly lack any postseason glory or promise.
The 2017-18 was exciting, where they ended the regular season with a 16-game winning streak and marched on to the second round of the playoffs. But then, they fizzled out in five games against the young and depleted Boston Celtics.
Last season, much of the momentum got messed up but they were able to return to the Conference Semifinals. Unfortunately, they got booted out again – this time by the Toronto Raptors as Kawhi Leonard hit climactic, series-clinching jumper in Game 7. Ouch.
This season, they didn’t do much better trying to sway the doubters, and the team’s All-Star big man, Joel Embiid ,knows it. He understands that the pressure is piling on them, him in particular – as he should since he’s the most brash and outspoken player in the group.
Embiid addressed the challenges and the criticism he’s faced in a recent Zoom interview with the media (via The Philadelphia Inquirer):
“I know what I’m capable of, and I know what my teammates think of me. I know I’m capable of carrying the team, so it’s all about me being assertive. If I feel like I’m not getting the ball, I just got to talk to them and do what I have to do.
“But at the end of the day, I should never be in a position to complain about getting the ball, just because of who I am. I believe I can carry the team, and I believe being able to do that, I just got to take matters into my own hands.”
The Sixers are heading into the restart holding a 39-26 record, only good for sixth in the East. They have the best home record in the league (29-2), but cancel it out by being atrocious on the road (10-24) – this may be telling as to how Philly may do since every team is basically “on the road” in the season’s Orlando-exclusive return.
Further, the Sixers offense have also plummeted into 21st after ranking 4th and 7th in in the last two seasons, respectively.
Embiid, of course, is part of the team’s struggles. He, too, is having a down season. He’s putting up 23.1 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks on the year, which are strong numbers on the surface, but all are actually a step back from his 2018-19 MVP-type campaign.
We’ll see if Embiid and company can suddenly turn it up a notch in the postseason. It’s one to really anticipate over on the East’s side, given all the ups-and-downs the team has had all season.
Here’s their schedule for the eight seeding games:
Now with all that, there’s one side note: it was weird that Embiid talked like he doesn’t have a highly regarded duo with teammate and co-All-Star Ben Simmons, the same guy who’s also taking blame for Philly’s bumps.
