Draymond Green has been watching the Philadelphia 76ers’ hot start, and the player who has caught his eye most is still Joel Embiid.
The 76ers have opened the season 3-1 after four games, a strong beginning for their new-look roster. That’s in sharp contrast to the 0-3 Miami Heat, a reminder that simply adding a superstar does not guarantee instant success. Philadelphia, though, has looked good early, even taking down last season’s defending champions, the New York Knicks, who are also off to an 0-3 start.
Green, speaking on his podcast, said Embiid has stood out above the rest despite the offseason additions. He explained: “Joel Embiid looks incredible. He slimmed down, he’s moving well, moving as well as we’ve seen him probably since he won MVP.
“He looks focused, and they’re playing a beautiful brand of basketball right now.
“So, we’ll have to see if they can keep it up, if they can stay healthy but this 76ers team, they’ve been really good to watch.”
Green also mentioned the depth Philadelphia has behind its stars, pointing to Anfernee Simons, Adem Bona and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Not everyone is sold on that part of the roster, though. Former Sixers star Charles Barkley has questioned their depth, saying they do not have enough size and are leaning too heavily on LeBron James.
Embiid’s health remains the real storyline underneath all of it. He won MVP in the 2022-23 season while averaging 33.1 points per game, but in the three seasons since then, he has averaged only 25 games per season, with totals of 39, 19 and 38.
This season, Embiid is scoring 21.7 points per game, well below his MVP level. But there is a reason for that drop: with James and Brown in the mix, along with growth from Maxey and Edgecombe, Philadelphia is not demanding as much from him.
That should matter over the long haul. If Embiid can keep playing a more controlled game and lean on the players around him, his body has a better chance of holding up.
In Other News...
Sixers Could Catch Pacers At The Perfect Time Wednesday
Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe are expected back in the 76ers lineup Wednesday night against the Indiana Pacers, giving Philadelphia a major boost after both sat out the previous game with injuries. Even with those reinforcements, the Sixers are still working around several absences of their own, including Dominick Barlow, Tacko Fall and Jabari Walker, so the rotation is not exactly at full strength yet.
Still, the timing could matter. Indiana arrives with its own injury concerns, and the Pacers have several players on the report, including some key names who are either out or in question for the matchup. For a Sixers team trying to stabilize itself, this is the kind of spot where getting Embiid back can change the feel of the night quickly, even if the full picture on the other side is still coming into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Adem Bona Just Put Real Pressure On The Sixers Backup Center Race
A recent run of minutes gave Adem Bona the kind of opportunity the 76ers have been waiting to see him seize. In 25 minutes, he finished with six points, 13 rebounds and three blocks, a line that underscored why the coaching staff had already envisioned him as part of the center rotation. With injuries thinning the big-man group and Andre Drummond gone, the pathway behind Joel Embiid has opened wider than expected.
Bonas case is built less on scoring than on the traits Philadelphia needs most when Embiid sits: activity, rim protection and work on the glass. The competition for backup center minutes is still shaped by who is available, but Bona has clearly put himself in position to be the primary option off the bench. For a team trying to preserve Embiid while staying solid in the frontcourt, that is no small development. [Read more 🡒]
Why The Nets Wanted No Part Of Jaylen Brown
Before Jaylen Brown ever got to Philadelphia, the Nets apparently had a chance to bring him to Brooklyn and passed. According to league insider Brian Lewis, Boston floated Brown in trade talks, but Brooklyn declined in large part because of his close relationship with Kyrie Irving, a connection the organization apparently did not want to revisit after the turbulence of Irvings run there.
For the Sixers, the backstory is part of the larger appeal of landing a player who has settled in and produced right away. Brown is performing well this season, and while the Brooklyn angle is mostly a what-if now, it helps explain why his arrival in Philadelphia mattered beyond the normal trade chatter. The Nets may have had their reasons for staying away, but the Sixers are the ones benefiting from what they saw as a clean fit. [Read more 🡒]