PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - FEBRUARY 10: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers shoots a lay up past Isaiah Hartenstein #55 of the New York Knicks during the third quarter at Wells Fargo Center on February 10, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
5 Events that must happen to get Joel Embiid on the Knicks
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia Sixers. (Photo by Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports) – New York Knicks
3: Joel Embiid has another MVP-esque regular season
Joel Embiid is coming off the best season of his career. He averaged a career-high 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 66 games, shooting 54.8% from the floor and 33% from three. Of course, his efforts were awarded as he was named the 2022-23 NBA MVP.
He’ll likely be back in the conversation for MVP in 2023-24, especially if James Harden is gone. Embiid will continue to be who the Sixers’ offense runs through. What will happen if he has another career year that results in another failed playoff run?
Embiid’s already gotten his MVP trophy, and what’s next for him is a championship trophy. The individual success that he’s received in the regular season won’t mean much if Philadelphia is stuck watching the Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals from home.
In an interview with UNINTERRUPTED’s Maverick Carter, Embiid said he wants to win a title with the Sixers or another team. Embiid took to Twitter to imply that he was being a troll, and Daryl Morey said in a radio interview that the center wants to win a championship for Philadelphia. Still, the odds of that happening aren’t looking the best.
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will change his mindset</a>. Given that Harden’s mindset seems to be the same as when he requested a trade, Embiid might’ve already played his last game with Harden.</p>
<p>The last thing that the Sixers should want is for Harden’s displeasure to extend into training camp and the 2023-24 season, which might be familiar because that happened with Ben Simmons. Embiid’s in his prime, and Philadelphia has to capitalize on that, and losing Harden would put the Sixers in a tough spot.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/07/23/5-events-must-happen-get-joel-embiid-knicks/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Same result, different year </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-146282" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/07/23/5-events-must-happen-get-joel-embiid-knicks/3/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1753,w_2560/https%3A%2F%2Fdailyknicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2023%2F07%2F1490153349-scaled.jpeg" alt="New York Knicks, Philadelphia Sixers, Joel Embiid" width="2560" height="1753" srcset="https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2023/07/1490153349-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2023/07/1490153349-768x526.jpeg 768w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2023/07/1490153349-1536x1052.jpeg 1536w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2023/07/1490153349-2048x1402.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Joel Embiid, Philadelphia Sixers. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) – New York Knicks</p>
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<h3>1: Sixers fail to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals</h3>
<p>The Sixers haven’t made it to the Eastern Conference Finals since 2001. Philadelphia has come up short in the semifinals in five of the last six seasons.</p><div class="widget fs_ads"> <div class="fs_ad_widget-ad" style="margin:0 auto; width: 300px;"> <div class="fs-ll-ad" data-ad-type="minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet" data-vendor="minutemedia">
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<p>Entering Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals a couple of months ago, the Sixers had a 3-2 series lead. All they had to do was win at least one of the next two games, but the Celtics stole both to advance to the ECF. Not even Game 7 was enough to motivate Joel Embiid and James Harden. The former scored only 15 points, shooting 5-of-18 from the field.</p>
<p>Embiid’s had his issues in the playoffs, so part of the blame for Philadelphia’s inability to make a deep playoff run can be placed on him. It’s reasonable enough to think if Embiid remains on the Sixers’ roster for the entirety of the 2023-24 season, another dud postseason push could be enough to warrant a trade request from Embiid.</p>
<p>The Knicks came up short of advancing to the ECF this past season, but the team still made a big jump from 2021-22. Most of the reason for that was Jalen Brunson, who solidified himself as a star in his first year in New York. The Knicks could be one star trade away from being labeled as contenders, and could that star be Joel Embiid?</p>
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