Sixers star Joel Embiid addresses narratives, talks James Harden
In order for the Sixers to have any type of chance at winning a championship, Embiid has to be great. He knows that. He has tried and has worked his tail off to be in the best position possible, but injuries have completely derailed everything. One really has to feel for him as he continues to work his way back to his 2023 MVP form. A guy like him doesn't deserve what he has gone through. He has worked so hard to be in the best position, but his body continues to betray him.
Embiid sees everything. In a candid interview with ESPN's Dotun Akintoye, the big fella addresses some narratives about his career among other important topics. Sixers Wire will highlight only some:
Embiid to ESPN about the narrative that he makes excuses
"It's not making excuses. When you're hurt every year and everybody knows it, it's the truth," he says. "Now, do you believe, if he was 100 percent does he have what it takes to have a chance at winning? I think a lot of people believe that because I've shown it in the regular season when I was healthy."
"What if I did this and I was like, 'You know what? I'm just going to chill all season and coast and average 25? Or 20.' And in the playoffs, I go average 30. Would that make me look great? Probably. If I went from averaging 23 to 30 -- A playoff riser. Oh, my God. Joel Jordan. Whatever.
"The Brooklyn series two years ago is a perfect example. Double me everywhere. Half court, as soon as I had the ball, that coach was like, 'Go get it.' And guess what? I was fine with it because we kicked the ball out, we made shots, and we won. But guess what it did? It lowered the stats.
"So, if that's the narrative that's out there, I'm OK with that because I know what I'm going through and I know what's going on. And no one is in my body to understand what I'm going through."
Embiid on the narrative that he only cares about individual awards
"If you are in a position to win an MVP, I don't care who you are, you're going after it because I never believed I would be in this position, first of all. Second of all, when I got in the league I thought, 'Yeah, maybe I'll have a chance to be a great defensive player.' I never thought I was going to be this good offensively."
Embiid on the narrative that he lacks the extra intangible to win
"No one is a winner until they've done it. I'm fine with that narrative because I haven't done it. Charles Barkley, great player, right? But he never won. [Allen Iverson] never won. … But that doesn't mean they weren't great. They were amazing.
"Everybody leads in his own way. I lead on the court," Embiid continues. "Over the years, you also grow, and you learn a lot. If you ask my teammates now, they'll tell you a way different story than my teammates a couple years ago, because years ago, I was nowhere to be found."
The James Harden situation
Embiid and Harden formed one of the deadliest pick-and-rolls in the NBA. The big fella led the league in scoring in the 2022-23 season on his way to winning MVP while Harden led the league in assists. The two of them were fantastic. When Harden made his first return to Philadelphia as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers, he stated that he and Embiid don't have a relationship anymore. That was in March of 2024.
Embiid told ESPN about his relationship with Harden:
"No one knows this, but even James [Harden] is not talking to me," Embiid tells me. "That's the part I don't like about being 'that guy,' because it puts you in the middle of those situations. Because if you ask James, he probably believes I had something to do with him not being here. And I'm just like, 'I won the scoring title. You won the assists title. We had a pick-and-roll that was unstoppable.'"
The Sixers will go as far as Embiid takes them. It remains to be seen if he will be ready to go when training camp begins in September, but the big fella is certainly going to give it his best shot.
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