Joel Embiid isn’t pretending the 2026-27 season will feel ordinary.
The Philadelphia 76ers enter the year with a dramatically upgraded roster after adding Jaylen Brown and LeBron James, two moves that instantly pushed them into contender conversation. But even with those names in the fold, Embiid remains the hinge point.
If he is rolling, the 76ers are a very different team. If he isn’t, the ceiling drops fast.
That’s why Embiid’s mindset matters as much as his production. He has long carried the individual résumé, but the criticism has followed him for years: great player, not enough team success, especially when compared with peers like Karl-Anthony Towns and Nikola Jokic, who already have championships. Now, with Philadelphia’s roster reinforced, he may finally have the kind of support that gives him a real shot at changing that story.
Embiid addressed the pressure directly in an interview with GQ's Nick Remsen.
"You’d be foolish to say this season isn’t going to be any different, because of the expectations and the attention. But in my mind, everything is the same, because my whole career has always been about one thing: winning," Embiid said in his interview with GQ's Nick Remsen.
He also made it clear that the addition of new star talent doesn’t change the standard he sets for himself.
"We added some new guys who can give us a better chance, but that doesn’t mean I put more pressure on winning. It’s always been the same hunger...
It feels like we have a brand-new team, so there’s going to be an adaptation period where you really have to be focused. You can’t deviate and start worrying about what people say."
That last part is the key. Embiid isn’t selling some fairy tale about an instant takeover.
He knows the 76ers will have to work through an adjustment period as they try to turn talent into chemistry. But he’s also realistic about the opportunity in front of them, especially with James leading the charge and a roster built to challenge teams like the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs.
For Embiid, the message is simple: the pressure is real, the expectations are bigger, and the goal has never changed.
In Other News...
Joel Embiid Got Pulled Into A Strange LeBron Rumor Fast
The 76ers preseason opener briefly turned into an odd side story when broadcaster Mike Breen said he had heard Joel Embiid was a few minutes late to a recent practice and was confronted by LeBron James. It was the kind of stray detail that can take on a life of its own in October, especially when it involves one of the leagues biggest names and a Philadelphia star already under a bright spotlight as the team starts laying groundwork for the season ahead.
LeBron James later shut the report down on social media, saying Embiid had not been late. So the rumor did not linger long, but it still added a strange wrinkle to a night meant to be about the 76ers getting back into game mode. Philadelphia now moves on to the rest of its preseason schedule and, eventually, the start of the 2026-27 regular season with the usual attention on Embiid and everything that follows him. [Read more 🡒]
Sixers May Have A Low-Risk Answer To Their New Frontcourt Problem
The Clippers decision to waive two-way center Jamarion Sharp has put a familiar kind of low-cost big man on the market at exactly the moment the Sixers need one. Philadelphia has an open two-way roster spot, and with Ariel Hukporti injured, frontcourt depth has become a more immediate concern than it was just a few days ago.
Sharp brings a profile the Sixers could find appealing: a 7-foot-5 developmental center with strong defensive numbers in the G League and the sort of rim protection that can at least help stabilize minutes in a pinch. The question now is whether Philadelphia sees enough upside to use that two-way slot on another project, or whether it keeps looking for a more ready-made answer to its frontcourt problem. [Read more 🡒]
Caleb Love Is Giving The 76ers A Roster Problem They'd Love
Caleb Love arrived in Philadelphia on a two-way deal, but he has already started making that arrangement feel temporary. After a solid rookie season with the Portland Trail Blazers, where he carved out a real rotation role, Love has carried that momentum into camp and looked like a player who belongs in a bigger conversation. In a recent preseason game, he put up 15 points and added contributions across the board, giving the Sixers another guard option with some two-way versatility.
For a team that is always balancing immediate expectations with long-term roster flexibility, that kind of production creates a good problem. Love has shown enough early to make the Sixers think about whether his role should grow if this keeps up, and whether a standard NBA contract might become the natural next step. For now, Philadelphia gets to keep evaluating, but the early returns are making it harder to treat him like just another depth piece. [Read more 🡒]