Joel Embiid's blunt take on 76ers landing Paul George
07/06/2024 11:11 PM
Joel Embiid has a new co-star — one that should give him even more space to operate on offense and someone who can help unlock his playmaking, too. Paul George is leaving the Los Angeles Clippers and signing a four-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, instantly giving them a massive talent upgrade as they try to make the most of the remainder of Embiid’s prime years.
Having a spectacular shooter like George will make it way easier for Embiid to get his own shots. George may be declining as a creator himself but he’s still good at leveraging his own shooting gravity to set up teammates or get past defenders. He’s far from perfect and well past his prime but is still perhaps the best player to join Philly in free agency in the modern era.
Embiid’s current focus is on the Paris Olympics, where he will try to win the gold medal with Team USA. But as far as the 76ers and landing George, he said he’s excited about it but that they still have to play the games before running any major victory laps, according to Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
"My focus is on helping [my teammates] as much as possible," Embiid said, via the Philadelphia Inquirer. "Making the game easy for them, so I don't have to do a lot, like in the past years. It was exciting [getting George]. Obviously, that's a great job that [the front office] did. But we've still got to go on the court and try to win."
Embiid, George and Tyrese Maxey are going to make the 76ers a tough team for opposing defenses to stop. Although there will be some learning to do — Embiid mentioned that it’s rare for teams that make such big additions to be off and running right away — the payoff should be immense.
Joel Embiid, Paul George, Tyrese Maxey form great Big 3 on 76ers
It's not yet clear how much having a star trio like Embiid, George and Maxey will matter that much when teams like the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks (plus several others from the Western Conference) go seven to eight deep with stars and high-level role players. Depth throughout the starting lineup will be extremely important.
The 76ers have looked to address those concerns with some other signings around the George deal, though there's also the chance for them to add more down the line. Having such a fearsome trio — which Embiid perhaps helped come together by appearing on an ESPN broadcast with George during the NBA Finals — is a great starting point, though.
On top of adding George, the Sixers nabbed Caleb Martin, Eric Gordon and Andre Drummond in free agency while also re-signing Kelly Oubre Jr., acquiring a future second-round pick in a sign-and-trade that sent Buddy Hield to the Golden State Warriors and waiving Paul Reed to create more cap flexibility. The Sixers’ current starting lineup projects to have its three stars, Oubre and Martin. Although some size will be very helpful, that's still a versatile starting five that should be among the best in the NBA.
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