76ers Media Day: 3 Key Takeaways From Joel Embiid

Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers held media day on Monday.

Nov 19, 2023; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) during the second quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Coming off of an eventful summer, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid is heading into his ninth playing season in the NBA.

The veteran hopes to find different results compared to last year. Despite getting off to a dominant start while defending his MVP title in 2023-2024, Embiid went down with a knee injury and was sidelined for a portion of the season.

Although Embiid returned to the court a couple of weeks before the 2024 playoffs, he competed in just 39 games for the Sixers last year. The big man averaged 35 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists while shooting 53 percent from the field and 39 percent from three.

For the seventh season in a row, Embiid earned All-Star honors. He was on pace for another MVP finalist nod, but the injury derailed his progress and made him ineligible as he failed to appear in 65 games.

The Sixers were fortunate to get Embiid back on the court for the playoffs, but his presence didn’t help the Sixers get past the New York Knicks in round one.

After losing to the Knicks 2-4 in the first round, Embiid failed to make it to the second round for just the second time in his career. While there was a bad taste left in his mouth, the superstar big man got redemption over the summer in Paris.

By joining Team USA for the 2024 Olympic run, Embiid’s first international run was a major success as he came back to Philly as a gold medal winner.

With a revamped roster in Philadelphia, Embiid hopes to build on that Olympic success by leading the Sixers through a deep playoff run. On Tuesday, the Sixers will fire up training camp for the 2024-2025 NBA season in the Bahamas.

Joel Embiid 2024 76ers Media Day Takeaways

1. Searching for Consistency

Aug 10, 2024; Paris, France; France power forward Victor Wembanyama (32) controls the ball against United States centre Joel Embiid (11) in the second half in the men's basketball gold medal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Since the conclusion of the 2024 playoff run, Embiid has made it clear that he wanted the Sixers to find consistency, keeping the same players around for years to come. He reiterated that belief on Monday.

“Consistency. That’s really all I demand. If you keep switching guys every one year, two years, I don’t think that takes you anywhere,” he said.

While the Sixers made key changes this past summer, the big man looks forward to continuing to build alongside the one-time All-Star Tyrese Maxey, while getting the new guys involved.

2. Big Expectations for Maxey

Nov 8, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) shoots against Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) in the third quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Since Tyrese Maxey entered the picture in Philadelphia, Embiid has been a major supporter of the former first-round pick. Five years later, nothing has changed.

“I think there’s another step he can take,” Embiid said of Maxey. “He’s going to take it.”

With Maxey recently re-signing with the team on a max deal, Embiid anticipates the young guard becoming “the guy” on the team at some point. The seven-time All-Star looks forward to helping Maxey reach that goal.

3. Good Health

Dec 16, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA;Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) handles the ball against the Charlotte Hornets during the first quarter at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

During the 2023-2024 NBA season, Embiid suffered a knee injury, which took him off the floor for multiple months. He returned in time for the 2024 Playoffs and even had the opportunity to join Team USA for its gold medal game over the summer.

Although he got to play more than usual during the offseason, health remains a major priority for next year. Not only did Embiid claim he lost a lot of weight, but he’s also keeping his focus beyond individual accolades.

“I think I lose about 30-25 [pounds],” said Embiid. “I still got ways to go, I still want to lose more. It’s a process. Daryl [Morey] will tell you, as soon as we lost last year, I texted him and said, ‘We gotta do whatever it takes to make sure that in postseason I’m healthy.’ This year, there’s no agenda. There’s no All-Star, there’s no All-NBA, there’s none of that. Whatever it takes to make sure I get to that point.”

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