With Paul George now in Philly, there shouldn’t be much excuse anymore for the Philadelphia 76ers not to go deep in the playoffs. The same goes for big man Joel Embiid, who’s yet to experience playing in a conference finals series. For ESPN senior writer Zach Lowe, the time is now for Embiid to exorcise the playoff demons and lead the 76ers to the ultimate success in the NBA.
Beyond that, it’s put up or shut up time for Embiid in the playoffs. He has underperformed in the postseason (relative to his regular-season efficiency) by a larger degree than would be expected. A sad litany of health issues has driven a lot of that. Embiid has had some huge playoff games and flashbulb moments, including his outrageous game-winning 3-pointer in Game 3 in the first round against the Toronto Raptors in 2022.
Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid has the help he needs with Paul George and Tyrese Maxey flanking him
Even though the 76ers now have a scary triumvirate of George, Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey, winning an NBA title isn’t going to be easy, and that goes for every team in the league. However, another early exit despite such a loaded roster would do no favor to Embiid’s image.
Among the chief goals of the 76ers in agreeing to a deal with George is to take down the Boston Celtics in the East. George greatly improves Philly’s chances of doing that, but Embiid is still viewed as the true barometer of the team. The Sixers will go as far as where he takes them.
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