As the 76ers get ready to open the season against the Knicks, the conversation around Philadelphia’s new-look group has already turned to one loaded word: sacrifice.
Joel Embiid recently pushed back on that idea, saying, “I'm against the concept of sacrificing. I think the way I explained it was you do what you do best, and we're going to support you. … I don't think anybody has to take a backseat,” per Kris Rhim of ESPN.
ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania wasn’t buying that as the long-term reality for this roster.
“Joel Embiid said the other day that there's no sacrifice… I have to say, there's going to be sacrifice. Someone or some player is going to have to sacrifice,” he said, per Pat McAfee on X, formerly Twitter.
Charania pointed to the Golden State Warriors and Klay Thompson as an example of how stars sometimes have to adjust when another elite player enters the picture, comparing that situation to when Kevin Durant joined the Warriors a decade ago.
That tension - who gets the most shot attempts, who handles the ball, who closes games - hangs over this team as the season begins. The questions don’t stop there, either. Health remains a concern, along with three-point shooting, perimeter defense, and whether Nick Nurse can get all the talented pieces to function together.
The challenge starts immediately. Philadelphia opens the season on the road against a Knicks team that will raise a championship banner before tipoff.
The game is set for 7:00 pm ET in New York City.
In Other News...
76ers Already Have A Joel Embiid Problem They Couldnt Hide
The season opener offered a reminder that the 76ers biggest question may not be about their stars, but about what happens when Joel Embiid has to take a breather. Against the Knicks, Philadelphia looked exposed behind him as Adem Bona and Jabari Walker had a tough time dealing with Andre Drummond, a matchup that quickly turned into a problem the Sixers could not paper over for long. Injuries already have thinned the center group, and the team had to get creative just to survive stretches without its anchor in the paint.
Philadelphias depth chart at the position now feels like something worth watching closely, especially if the early-season rotation has to lean on stopgap answers more than expected. The Sixers can live with a lot when Embiid is on the floor, but the opener showed how quickly the matchup can tilt once he is not, and it left an obvious question hanging over the roster: whether this team will need to find more reliable help at center before those minutes decide a game again. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Nurse Still Has A Knicks Grudge The 76ers Havent Settled
The 76ers have already made their presence felt against New York once this season, walking out of Madison Square Garden with a 106-100 win that spoiled the Knicks ring and banner ceremony. For Philadelphia, it was more than just an early-season road victory. It was the kind of result that still carries some extra edge for a team that has spent time looking back at what happened against the Knicks in the playoffs.
Nick Nurse has not completely let go of that loss in the Eastern Conference semifinals, and the frustration around it still lingers as the two teams measure themselves again. Philadelphia has also reworked its roster with Jaylen Brown and LeBron James in the mix, giving the club more ways to navigate the season if Joel Embiid misses time. Even so, the Knicks remain a familiar source of unfinished business for a coach who clearly has not moved on from the last postseason meeting. [Read more 🡒]
Paul George Just Reopened An Uncomfortable 76ers Debate
Paul Georges first night in Boston looked a lot like the kind of performance the 76ers spent a season hoping to see more often. In the Celtics season opener, George poured in 38 points and added five rebounds, three assists and five steals, immediately looking like a player with more room to operate than he ever consistently found in Philadelphia. The fit was different from the start, with Boston putting him in a larger role and giving him the freedom to play like a primary option alongside Jayson Tatum.
For the 76ers, it reopened an uncomfortable question about what exactly went wrong during Georges time in Philadelphia. Injuries were part of the answer, but so were the team dynamics around him, which never seemed to let his game breathe in the way it did against his new backdrop. If this is the beginning of a resurgence, it only sharpens the sense that the Sixers may have watched a different version of George emerge just as he moved on. [Read more 🡒]