Trimmed Embiid ready to lead 76ers’ title chase
CAMDEN, N.J. >> If Joel Embiid is the MVP, and if he is the defensive player of the year, and if his legacy as a star continues to grow, the 76ers will win 60-plus games and compete for a championship. Or is it the other way around? That was the twist Embiid embraced Monday, a day before he would begin his sixth (already?) NBA training camp.
“Coming into this season, we want the No. 1 (overall postseason) seed,” Embiid was saying at Media Day. “That is going to take 60 wins. And I know that team success also helps me when it comes to my goal to be defensive player of the year or MVP. So my whole mindset is on winning.
“I’ve got to win. I’ve got to win at least 60 games. And that is going to put me in a better situation for all those things.”
In his first five NBA years, including two he spent inactive, Embiid has emerged as an AllStar, as Brett Brown’s “crown jewel” and as an occasional figure in early MVP chatter. But his chronic inability to remain active, compounded by the Sixers’ commitment to giving him excessive load-management time, has compromised his ability to remain on track toward legendary status.
Claiming to have shed 20 pounds from last season, Embiid insists he is sufficiently healthy and motivated to play enough games to help the Sixers to that Big Six-Oh. Last season, he missed 13 of the final 23 games with chronic knee issues, then was at less than full strength in the Eastern Conference semifinals due to gastroenteritis.
With a newer sports science department, the Sixers are not expected to stray from their plan to rest Embiid at certain points during the season in order to have him at full strength in the playoffs. But with veteran big men Al Horford and Kyle O’Quinn on the roster, they will be better equipped to compete on any Embiid maintenance nights.
“We want that No. 1 seed,” Brown said. “But not at the detriment to Joel’s health.”
Embiid is not opposed to the occasional rest period. But Monday, he sounded determined not to make it a habit. He played 64 regular-season games last season, 63 the year before and 31 in his first full season.
“If everything goes right, it’s definitely going to be better than the last three years,” he said. “My high has been 64 games. It’s definitely going to be over that.”
If so, he is convinced the likelihood of team success will grow.
“We have a championship-caliber team,” he said. “We have a chance to win it all. It’s all about chemistry. But if everybody stays on the same page, I think we are going to be fine.”
He believes he is in the proper condition to make that happen.
“I am going to be playing and I am going to be performing without actually being worried about being injured,” he said. “We can accomplish winning 60 games. And if so the other goals will come. It will take a new mindset, a better mindset, and taking care of my body. And the rest is going to take care of itself.”