Joel Embiid has spent most of his career carrying the 76ers as a scoring force, but Philadelphia may get even more out of him if his game keeps bending in a different direction.
The idea is simple enough: the Sixers do not need Embiid to shoulder quite as much of the offense as he once did. They would still welcome an MVP-caliber season from him, but this roster can benefit more if he becomes the team’s playmaking hub and sharpens his passing when defenses load up on him.
That shift would fit where Embiid is right now. The 32-year-old has long been the center of Philadelphia’s attack, and with career averages of 27.6 points per game, it is easy to see why the franchise kept leaning on him. But the makeup of the current team gives him room to hand off some of that burden and expand the rest of his game.
The source material points to LeBron James, Tyrese Maxey, and Jaylen Brown as players who can all score 20-plus points a night. With that kind of offensive support, Embiid does not have to be the only engine.
He can draw extra defenders, then punish them by finding teammates in space. That kind of wrinkle could make the offense far less predictable.
There is already a recent example of what that can look like. Before his knee injury in 2023-24, Embiid was averaging a career-high 5.6 assists per game. That stretch opened clean looks for Maxey and Tobias Harris from deep, and the argument here is that a stronger supporting cast could make that approach even more dangerous.
It also helps that Philadelphia is no longer built around one basket of eggs. The article frames the 76ers’ old problem as overreliance, with former general manager Daryl Morey unable to build enough depth around Embiid to survive a full season. That left Nick Nurse constantly trying to patch together lineups whenever Embiid was unavailable, and the result was a roster that never quite fit together.
Now, under Mike Gansey’s tutelage, the picture is described as more stable. The 76ers still do not have a true Embiid backup, but they do have enough scoring spread across the starting group - and even some bench help if needed - to keep the offense afloat without asking Embiid to do everything himself. Less on his plate should also mean more rest.
If Embiid takes another step as a passer this season, the Sixers could become a much tougher problem for opponents. They still need his scoring to chase a championship, but adding more versatility around him gives Philadelphia a better shot at making the offense harder to contain.
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