Will the Philadelphia 76ers deliver on their championship expectations? They have made the playoffs in each of the last six seasons but without any long run to show for it. The pattern of second-round exits (interrupted only by a first-round defeat) dwells heavily on the minds of Joel Embiid and the Sixers as the 2022-23 postseason approaches.

Embiid has his sights set on a title but also has a more holistic look at where the Sixers are as a team. He said that being in championship contention is very important, dismissing the idea that a championship is the only thing that matters, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

“Obviously, everybody is always basing everything on winning a championship,” Joel Embiid said, via the Philadelphia Inquirer. “But that’s not all that matters. Obviously, you want to win a championship. But would you rather be in contention every year? Or would you [rather] be at the bottom and fighting to make the playoffs every single year?”

At this point in Embiid's career, the fact that the Sixers are a regular playoff team is an accomplishment that never gets recognition. Only the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks have active playoff streaks longer than than Philly's while the Utah Jazz have an uphill batttle to add to their currrent six-year streak.

This era of Sixers basketball establishing a playoff berth as a baseline was far from promised during the Process years. The three years of being one of the NBA's very worst teams yielded Embiid and the assets that led to the team in place. The failed playoff trips are excruciating and Philly deserves criticism for them. But they show how far this team has come. Embiid, the longest-tenured player, developed into a superstar through the transformation and rightfully recognizes how the team's current status is a very good one.

Until Embiid gets the Sixers into at least the conference finals, he will only be remembered for his playoff failures. However, these Sixers look more like championship contenders behind the best version of Embiid pairing perfectly with James Harden.