This Is Joel Embiid's Chance To Establish His Legacy
This year, there are absolutely no excuses.
Mike O’Connor is the best O’Connor in basketball writing. Previously of The Athletic, you can find Mike on Twitter @MOConnor_NBA. Mike’s writing is brought to you by Body Bio, supplements based on science, focusing on your gut and brain health. Get 20% off E-Lyte and all Body Bio products with promo code RTRS20 at Body Bio’s website.
A couple of weeks ago, I was aimlessly scrolling through DraftKings, as one does, when I decided I would check out the Sixers win total over/under. My jaw nearly hit the floor when I saw the number — 50.5.
Fifty point five? They won 51 games last year with 21 games of a gimpy, out of shape James Harden, a wing rotation that couldn’t stop a nosebleed, and a couple of outright saboteurs playing backup center for 25 games.
Indeed, I do feel that people are sleeping on the Sixers. This team is ridiculously talented, extremely deep, and sufficiently complementary to one another. They have successfully addressed every weakness that held them back last season. And, most importantly, they still have a perennial MVP candidate on the roster.
I am deeply tempted to go all-in on this team. In my mind, there is absolutely no reason why the Sixers shouldn’t be considered among the league’s inner circle of contenders… Except, well, the entire past history of their core players, coach, and the franchise itself.
Simply put, I believe the Sixers are the best team in the East on paper, but also the one with the most playoff baggage. If I could simply force myself to forget that the best player gets injured in the playoffs every year, that the second best player has a comically long history of shrinking in the playoffs, and that the head coach can’t seem to stop pushing the wrong buttons, I would absolutely be trying to convince everyone that the Sixers are going to win the East.
In years past, it always felt like I was trying to perform mental gymnastics when trying to convince myself to the Sixers had a chance at the title, whether that meant convincing myself that it didn’t matter that the point guard wouldn’t shoot, or that it was OK that their only somewhat useful player off the bench was Georges Niang.
Now, there is none of that. The question is no longer if they can overcome certain holes in the roster; it’s whether the core figures of the team can overcome themselves. It’s no longer a question of ability, it’s a question of character.
Each of those three core figures — Doc Rivers, James Harden, and Joel Embiid — face different challenges in overcoming their past demons. For Rivers, it will require him showing more creativity and adaptability in the playoffs. For Harden, it will simply mean showing up and not going 2-11 in every big game. But for Embiid, it will mean putting the franchise on his shoulders, and making up for whatever deficit the other two core figures continue to show.
Indeed, it is hard to move away from the fact that while Rivers and Harden leave plenty of room for skepticism, any major playoff failure that this team has would have to be tied back to Embiid. Ask yourself the following questions: if Harden were Giannis’ teammate, would we do this much hand-wringing about whether or not he’ll want the ball in the playoffs? Is anyone at this point still worried about Mike Budenholzer’s stubbornness knocking out the Bucks in the first or second round? The answer to both of those questions is obviously, no, because Giannis’ single-handed dominance and overall character is expected to be enough to take them wherever they need to go — that is simply the burden that great players bear. This is in no way absolving them of their failures, but part of the reason that Rivers and Harden’s weaknesses are so concerning, is that we simply don’t know if we can trust Embiid to make up for them.
Again, Rivers and Harden have a lot to prove for their own legacies’ sake. But I would argue that if the Sixers are holding the Larry O’Brien trophy in June, we will not be leading the conversation with Harden averaging 25 a game or Rivers’ smart adjustments; we would be talking about Embiid going toe to toe with the players we claim he is on-par with, and winning.
Truth be told, I believe in Joel — as a talent, at least. As far as whether or not he can actually be the leader of a championship winning team remains to be seen. In every year before this one, there was a plausible enough excuse for Embiid coming up short, whether it was youth, injuries, Simmons, or Harden. But at a certain point, your list of excuses simply becomes too long, and there might be a greater reason as to why you never seem to be able to get over the hump.
This year, there are absolutely no excuses. While I can’t say I’m convinced that Harden and Doc are going to slay their demons and rewrite their narratives, I am confident that they can provide just enough to give Embiid a fair opportunity to put the franchise on his shoulders and win the whole damn thing — and that’s all that a truly great player should need. I certainly wouldn’t be able to sit here next year and say with a straight face that Embiid is an MVP-level player, while also saying that he couldn’t get out of the second round again because of James Harden and Doc Rivers.
Even if Harden is only slightly better than last year, this is a freaking incredible roster. If they can’t make a deep run, that’s on the best player. Perhaps Rivers and Harden will prove me wrong, and will steal the show in the postseason en route to a finals trip. But I think at this point, it’s safe to say that they are who they are — and while they may once again show their asses in the playoffs, they, along with the rest of this roster, are good enough to give the player that we all considered to be the MVP, a chance to lead them to a deep run. And, in doing so, he could rewrite the narrative not only for himself, but for his teammates, his coach, and the whole damn franchise.