The Philadelphia 76ers have enjoyed a strong start to the NBA season with their new-look team.
You only need to look at the 0-3 Miami Heat to see that adding a superstar does not immediately translate into success.
Of course, the Philadelphia 76ers added two superstars this offseason, adding Jaylen Brown and LeBron James, and they are looking very good so far, sitting with a 3-1 record after four games.
The Sixers have even beaten last season’s defending champions the New York Knicks, who themselves have fallen to an 0-3 start.
Draymond Green is one of the stars of another 0-3 team, the Golden State Warriors, and he has been watching the Philadelphia 76ers from afar. He told his podcast he is impressed with their start to the season.
Despite the new additions for the team, Green says the player who has stood out the most for him has been center Joel Embiid.
Green explained: “Joel Embiid looks incredible. He slimmed down, he’s moving well, moving as well as we’ve seen him probably since he won MVP.
“He looks focused, and they’re playing a beautiful brand of basketball right now.
“So, we’ll have to see if they can keep it up, if they can stay healthy but this 76ers team, they’ve been really good to watch.”
Green also praised the bench depth of Anfernee Simons, Adem Bona and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. However, former Sixers star Charles Barkley has called out their depth, arguing they lack enough size and are asking too much from LeBron James.
Embiid health is key
Embiid won the MVP in the 2022-23 season when he averaged 33.1 points per game.
But in the three seasons that have followed, Embiid is averaging only 25 games per season, with totals of 39, 19, and 38.
Embiid is averaging 21.7 points this season, which is a long way from his MVP form, but there is good reason for this.
The additions of James and Brown, plus the development from Maxey and Edgecombe, means that the Sixers are not asking as much from Embiid.
If he can play a more measured game and pace himself by leaning on his teammates, his body stands a better chance of holding up.
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