Sixers superstar Joel Embiid is spending the first few days of training camp trying to figure out a way to mesh alongside newcomer Al Horford, who is bound to slide up to the power forward position in Brett Brown's starting lineup. The Philadelphia 76ers will trot out the tallest lineup in the league with a 6-foot-10 Ben Simmons, 6-foot-6 Josh Richardson, 6-foot-9 Tobias Harris, 6-foot-10 Horford, and of course, a 7-footer in Embiid — an unreal 407 inches between them.
Yet the challenge will be for two post-oriented players in Horford and Embiid to not only coexist, but thrive in the same backcourt.
“We talked a lot, trying to figure out, you know, how to play together,” said Embiid after practice on Tuesday. “And the coaches, I'm sure they're also gonna do a good job of having us on the court together, trying to make sure we kinda understand the spacing. Because he's not really a stretch 4. But it's cool, I can learn a lot from him.”
Embiid has several lessons to pick from his former kryptonite, including tips on post defense, footwork, and learning to make the most of his minutes, as the 33-year-old Horford can attest to at this stage of his career.
So long as the 7-footer is willing to be a sponge and takes Horford's advice in stride, the two should eventually figure out how to make the most of each other's skills and complement each other in a star-studded Sixers frontcourt.
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