A roster revamp and Kawhi-esque relaxation: How Philly plans to get Embiid to the Finals

THE PHILADELPHIA 76ERS may need gained the NBA offseason, however not earlier than massively playing on the franchise’s future.

After falling in six video games to the New York Knicks within the first spherical of the 2024 playoffs, Philadelphia entered the offseason with simply two gamers beneath contract: 2023 undrafted rookie guard Ricky Council IV and 2023 Most Helpful Participant Joel Embiid.

However inside a couple of weeks, the 76ers had remodeled themselves right into a championship menace as soon as once more. Paul George left his hometown of Los Angeles to hitch Philly on a four-year maximum deal, the primary present All-Star to alter groups in free company in 5 years. Tyrese Maxey, after being informed to attend his flip the prior summer time to protect cap house somewhat than signing a rookie contract extension, landed a new five-year max contract. Kelly Oubre Jr. and Kyle Lowry re-signed, and Caleb Martin, Eric Gordon and Andre Drummond had been introduced in. And final month, Embiid signed a three-year contract extension of his personal.

“It is in all probability not really helpful,” 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey informed ESPN with amusing whereas talking on the workforce’s high-wire act this summer time. “Nevertheless it was positively the very best plan — despite the fact that it was a really, very dangerous plan.”

It was a threat the franchise believed it wanted to take.

After a number of years of instability, drama and a revolving door of stars slotting subsequent to Embiid — from Jimmy Butler to Ben Simmons to James Harden — the 76ers have surrounded Embiid with a steady forged of supporting expertise, led by a pair of co-stars in Maxey and George. And after years of watching their famous person heart take care of season-defining accidents, the 76ers seem to have ramped up their plan to maintain Embiid wholesome as he chases the feat eluding his Corridor of Fame profession.

“I’ve completed the whole lot [individually],” Embiid informed ESPN. “However there’s one factor lacking, which is to win a championship.”

EMBIID’S CAREER HAS been hampered by ill-timed accidents, most notably within the playoffs.

He suffered facial fractures in 2018 and 2022 and knee accidents in 2021 and 2023. Final season, Embiid was on tempo to hitch Wilt Chamberlain as the one gamers in NBA historical past with extra factors than minutes performed, however a left knee damage in late January pressured him out till April with little ramp-up time heading into the postseason. (Embiid additionally revealed throughout the first spherical that he had been playing through Bell’s palsy.)

Because of this, after the Knicks collection ended, Embiid texted Morey.

“‘We acquired to do no matter it takes to make it possible for within the postseason I am wholesome,'” Embiid recalled on the workforce’s media day final month.

The 30-year-old Embiid is doing his half, arriving at coaching camp having misplaced 25 to 30 kilos with the purpose to lose extra. Pointing to how Corridor of Fame huge man Tim Duncan remodeled his physique as his profession progressed as inspiration, Embiid hopes a slimmer model of himself can higher deal with the pains of the NBA season. “It is simply the evolution of your physique, and getting older and discovering methods to remain afloat and be as dominant as I’ve at all times been,” he mentioned.

And, after enjoying in simply 433 of a potential 637 video games throughout the previous eight seasons — not counting the primary two years of his profession that had been misplaced to foot accidents — Embiid’s days of enjoying back-to-backs look like over.

“If I needed to guess,” Embiid mentioned, “I’d in all probability by no means play back-to-backs the remainder of my profession.”

“We’ll be sensible about it,” Morey mentioned. “A part of being sensible about it’s having each Paul and Joel in all probability not play many again to backs, if any.”

It has turn into an organization-wide precedence to get Embiid, who on Sunday was ruled out for the rest of the preseason as he ramps up for the 76ers’ season opener in opposition to the Milwaukee Bucks, to the playoffs in the very best well being potential.

For Nurse, Philly’s plan ought to look acquainted. Nurse coached Kawhi Leonard throughout the Raptors’ breakthrough championship season in 2018-19, throughout which Leonard performed simply 60 video games and sat one leg of each back-to-back. The plan helped Leonard play all 24 video games throughout Toronto’s postseason run, averaging 30.5 factors and 39.1 minutes per sport en path to Finals MVP.

For Embiid and Philadelphia, emulating that plan might current a problem. In 2018-19, the Raptors went 17-5 within the 22 video games Leonard sat. Nurse, although, was fast to level out that the model of the East was far shallower, when it comes to top-end groups, than the present convention initiatives.

“It wasn’t the identical deal,” Nurse informed ESPN. “However I am OK with that. I do not suppose we are able to get tremendous caught up with [getting to] 45 wins, 55 wins or 65 wins.”

Embiid can even — begrudgingly — proceed to put on a brace on the left knee he injured in January. However whereas he has at all times been uncomfortable carrying both a facemask or brace at any level in his profession, he mentioned it will not cease him from doing the issues which have made him one of many league’s most dominant forces.

“It is the precise factor to do, and the precise factor that is going to offer me the assist for the remainder of my profession,” Embiid mentioned. “For me, it is a psychological factor. I hated it. [But] I began telling myself, ‘OK, I’ve to do it, that is the one manner they will let me play. …

“It may not look nearly as good because it used to, with the jab or the pull-up and all that stuff, nevertheless it’ll nonetheless work.”

IN THE OPENING hours of free company, Drummond checked out his telephone and noticed a shocking title pop up. It was Embiid. He hoped for a reunion.

“Getting a telephone name from the very best heart within the NBA saying, ‘I want you right here’ … it is exhausting to inform him no,” Drummond informed ESPN with a smile. “I spoke to numerous groups this summer time, and he was in all probability the third or fourth particular person to name me.

“I wasn’t even anticipating to listen to from him. … He simply gave me an thought of what he was in search of and he wanted me to return again to actually assist him out to win one thing larger than him. He is already been an MVP, he is acquired his scoring title … he is finished the whole lot.

“And now he will attempt to win a championship.”

Landing Drummond — arguably the very best backup heart within the NBA and somebody, sources informed ESPN, Philadelphia has repeatedly tried to get again with the franchise since buying and selling him within the Harden deal two years in the past — ought to assist the 76ers keep away from hemorrhaging factors at any time when their famous person heart is on the bench.

Throughout every of the previous 4 seasons, the 76ers have been a minimum of 10 factors per 100 possessions higher with Embiid on the courtroom than when he sits. And even with the collection of accidents he has had within the playoffs, and when his particular person numbers have dipped, that disparity has carried over.

For instance, Philadelphia outscored New York by 46 factors in 248 minutes with Embiid on the courtroom of their six-game collection in final season’s playoffs. The Knicks outscored the the 76ers by 47 factors within the 45 minutes he sat.

“The splits the final couple years, and even the collection in opposition to New York, we won’t have that,” Embiid mentioned. “Once we put one other workforce on the ground, we acquired to make it possible for we’ve got sufficient to remain afloat, so [recruiting] was a giant deal for me.”

Philadelphia knew it might want extra than simply Drummond to unravel its depth problem. The 76ers initially anticipated to be in play for Martin provided that George opted to stick with the Clippers or went elsewhere in free company. As a substitute, Philadelphia swooped in and landed him on a four-year deal when the market broke against him. Now, Martin, George and Oubre — probably the greatest worth signings within the league final season who returned on a two-year, $16 million deal — will all begin, with Gordon and Lowry each offering veteran depth.

“I like the place we stack up,” George informed ESPN. “As we have been saying, Joel, he is nonetheless a trump card, proper? There’s no person that may actually match up with him. And you then simply have nice complimentary items round him.

“There’s simply a lot expertise on this group. We will play quick, we are able to play small, we are able to play huge, we could be a nice defensive group. We might be actually good offensively. … it is positively going to make for a enjoyable season.”

Within the East race, the defending champion Boston Celtics introduced again their total rotation, with Morey telling ESPN that he believes Boston is the NBA’s finest workforce because the Golden State Warriors had Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant collectively 5 years in the past. The Knicks swung a pair of large trades for Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns; the Milwaukee Bucks nonetheless have Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard; the Miami Heat nonetheless have Butler, Bam Adebayo and coach Erik Spoelstra; and younger, up-and-coming groups, such because the Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic, all consider they will end within the high 4 within the convention.

Nonetheless, the 76ers are hopeful this season will see them inform a unique story after repeated postseason disappointments. By making the variety of high quality additions that it did, Philadelphia believes it could possibly persist with its plan to watch the video games and minutes for each Embiid and George, preserving their well being for later. The drama from the previous few years has seemingly been left previously, too, with annual roster uncertainty giving approach to a core beneath contract for the subsequent a number of years.

“The names on the sheet look actually good, however this is not 2K. It is not fantasy basketball. It is actual life,” Maxey informed ESPN. “So the items acquired to suit collectively. If we get the items to suit collectively, then we play extraordinarily exhausting, then we’ve got an opportunity.”

“That is a query I can solely reply after we get on the ground,” Embiid mentioned, when requested if he noticed this season as his finest likelihood to interrupt via for a title. “We have got a fairly good quantity of expertise, however you have nonetheless acquired to exit and work out find out how to do it.

“That is why I am excited for everyone to only be locked in for a pair years. … We have got a fairly good likelihood to perform one thing.”