Kendrick Perkins spoke on ESPN’s NBA Today about Joel Embiid and his outlook for next season. Perkins claimed that Joel Embiid is the player in the NBA with the most pressure on him next season, as he doesn’t have any excuses left to justify not winning a championship. He cited the arrival of Paul George, and the construction of the roster as reasons why Embiid is out of excuses.
“We’re talking about going into this 2024-25 season? He’s under the most pressure. He’s under Jayson Tatum-type pressure. There’s no other player in the league that’s under the most pressure like Joel Embiid.”
“When you look at the list of bigs around the NBA that you put him in the same conversation with – Anthony Davis, he has an NBA championship. Nikola Jokic, he has an NBA championship. Giannis Antetokounmpo has an NBA championship.”
“When you think about those teams, the Bucks, they made the necessary moves to get the pieces. Jrue Holiday at the time, to make sure Giannis secured a championship. We know what the Denver Nuggets did, surrounding and getting pieces to fit around Jokic.”
“Philly has done that this offseason, and over the past two seasons. Bringing in Nick Nurse, re-signing Tyrese Maxey, signing Paul George, and re-signing KJ Martin. The list goes on He has the necessary pieces to get it done. He’s under the most pressure in the NBA for players to go out there and win big this season.”
Perkins made some really good points about Embiid and the him running out of excuses now. With the 76ers doing everything in their power to make moves that will help his chances to win a championship. Any shortcoming on his end will force a serious reappraisal from both fans and the organizations about his quality.
What To Expect From Embiid-George-Maxey Big Three Next Season?
At the time of this writing, Joel Embiid is currently with Team USA, as they prepare to go to the Olympics and win their fifth consecutive gold medal. Embiid opened up about how his injuries from the previous season have been affecting him, and it appears that they shouldn’t be a long-term concern for the 76ers.
A big three of Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey is as good as any trio in the Eastern Conference. And if they all click the way the 76ers are hoping, they do have a good chance at making it past the second round of the playoffs, something they have struggled to do throughout Embiid’s tenure with the 76ers.
There might be some questions about the 76ers being able to reach the NBA Finals, as the Knicks and the Celtics also have really strong teams in the Eastern Conference, and will require a lot of work to get past. But with all three players healthy and playing at their best, they have a very good chance to do just that. Considering the injury histories of both Embiid and George however, that is a very big ‘if’.
