“No More Nightmares”: Joel Embiid Challenged to Prove He Wasn’t Philly’s Issue During Ben Simmons & James Harden Era

For the Philadelphia 76ers, Joel Embiid has always been the clear choice to move forward with. Be it after the arrival of Ben Simmons or James Harden. But Daryl Morey’s pursuit of building a championship team around Embiid always ended up in failure. Of course, you understand what we are referring to. However, at least some of you might have wondered, at some point, whether the 7-footer might have been the one to blame. After all, he was the one with the embarrassingly rich injury history.

Even when there were serious doubts and heavy criticism for trying to bring a title on the back of an oft-injured player like Joel Embiid, the franchise chose to ‘trust the process’. There was no doubt that the Cameroonian big man was one of the most dominant centers in league history and a perennial MVP candidate. Only if he could stay healthy for key stretches. And it was this chink in the otherwise solid armor that the Sixers were looking to fix – first, through Simmons, and then, via Harden.

But now, in the wake of a star offensive player in Tyrese Maxey and an All-Star caliber forward in Paul George, Embiid basically has a phenomenal troop. Or in the words of Chiney Ogwumike on NBA Today, “Now he has a team that he’s been dreaming of!” But she was quick to point out, “Dreams. No more nightmares! They’ve got the squad, they’ve got the guys, and they have the talent. They can score everywhere.” 

As we mentioned above, both the Simmons and Harden project turned out to be a real headache for the organization. We don’t even have to get into the telenovela that happened with James and Daryl! From calling the Sixers GM a “liar” publicly to refusing to participate in training and workouts, ‘The Beard’ used every trick up his sleeve and then some more to push Morey’s buttons.

However, the man was unperturbed. He stood his ground; only, and only when there was a worthy deal on the table, did he agree to trade the 10x All-Star. As for Simmons, it was his lack of offensive development that ultimately made him a poor fit in Philly. The Sixers needed a reliable second-superstar who could step in when Embiid succumbed to injuries. More specifically, someone who could run pick-and-roll, take some pressure off No. 21, and provide spacing as an efficient shooter.

We don’t have to remind you of the infamous Game 7 vs the Hawks in 2021. The most humiliating moment in Ben’s life as a Sixer was probably when he passed a wide-open dunk to Matisse Thybulle. Needless to say, it only served to accelerate the narrative that the Simmons-Embiid championship partnership was a foul-up.

But now the 7x All-Star has a proper team. A championship-ready group. And it unsurprisingly puts Joel Embiid as the focal point of basically everything, AGAIN.

Admitting his patience was tested, Joel Embiid will now have to ensure he keeps his end of the deal

“The talent is in place,” Tim Legler stated. “It’s going to come down to, for Joel Embiid, the time is now. You have to be as good for a two-month stretch for the Philadelphia 76ers as you have been in the regular season, year after year. He has yet to do that.” Legler believes the 2024-25 season is the perfect chance for Embiid to prove otherwise. Joining Malika Andrews on NBA Today, the former NBA star, said that the team and the player he was looking forward to this season were the 76ers and Joel.

As are many, isn’t it?

And much like the veteran analyst, all everybody wants to see is if the Olympic gold medalist can actually stay healthy long enough to bring a title to Philadelphia for the first time in 41 years. As the man himself pointed out, there’s only so much All-Stars, MVP, All-NBA teams, etc. can do. The main thing that can change his legacy would be a ring.

“I’d be lying to say that patience wasn’t tested … when you start thinking about what you want to be remembered as, you want to be remembered as someone that’s won,” Joel Embiid admitted to Tim Bontemps.

As Legler finally pointed out, “That talent is enough to contend in the East, without a doubt!” But can Joel Embiid deliver?