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Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has always tried to hold himself to a higher standard in an effort to prove he is the best big man in the league.
That standard is utter excellence.
Embiid was asked about his goals for the upcoming season, saying a player of his “caliber” should be in consideration for MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and All-NBA each and every season. The Sixers star concluded by saying winning is the highest priority, per ESPN's Tim Bontemps.
Joel Embiid, when asked for his goals this year, says “a player of, I guess, my caliber, should be in consideration for MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, All-NBA every season,” & adds that accomplishing that will happen if his number one goal — winning at a high level — happens.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) December 10, 2020
Much of Philly's will depend on Embiid's continued growth.
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Embiid saw a general decline in productiveness this past season. His scoring averaged from 27.5 to 23.0 points per game, while the rebounding average dipped from 13.6 to 11.6 boards per game.
Of course, those are still tremendous numbers. But the Sixers would undoubtedly love for Embiid to regain his 2018-19 form, especially considering Daryl Morey was able to rid the team of Al Horford's horrendous contract.
Philadelphia is a team in transition this season. Doc Rivers takes over for Brett Brown as head coach, and Morey surprised the NBA community by joining the organization after previously suggesting he was taking a break from basketball when he left the Houston Rockets.
Morey and Rivers have both been insistent the team will retain both Embiid and Simmons made persistent questions as to whether the two stars can coexist or not.
It makes sense for Philadelphia to give it a go with their star duo, considering Morey supplemented the roster with a key “3-and-D” wing in Danny Green and one of the best shooters in the league in Seth Curry.
But the Sixers will mostly hitch their cart to Embiid, who is striving for bigger things.
