After signing Paul George, the Philadelphia 76ers have formed a new “Big 3” with him, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey. With those three now teammates, Embiid did not hold back when talking to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps about their potential together.
“Yeah, I think as far as the fit, it looks amazing,” Embiid told Bontemps in a July 8 story. “It is great, especially when you got a big … I don’t like to call myself a big, but when you got a player that posts up, and that isos quite a bit, you need to have willing shooters and guys that are not afraid to pull the trigger. PG, great shooter, 40%, 45 catch and shoot; Tyrese, we know, great shooter, off the dribble, catch-and-shoot.
“On paper, and as far as the fit, it looks fantastic because you got both guys that can play off the ball, and they can play on ball, and they’re great shooters, and they can handle the ball, and then you also got me,” he added with a smile.
“So, yeah, it looks great.”
The Sixers signed George to a four-year contract worth almost $212 million. They also extended Maxey to a five-year contract worth almost $204 million. All three played in the 2024 NBA All-Star game and will be teammates for the next few years.
Joel Embiid Says He’ll Give Up Shots for Teammates
With George and Maxey by his side, Embiid’s numbers may dwindle a little. However, Embiid admitted to Bontemps that he’s ready to do just that primarily because doing so could allow him to stay on the court.
“It makes me excited because I think that actually might keep me healthy,” Embiid said. “I don’t have to exert myself and make sure I have to have 30, 40 every single night for us to win, and I can let them do their thing.
“There will be some nights where they got it going, and that’s OK … but if I have 10 or 15 [points], yeah, that’s fine. But there’s going to be some nights like that, and then there’s also going to be some nights where I got it going. So it all evens out at the end of the day. But I think the goal is just to allow those guys to just be themselves so I don’t have to … in the playoffs, that’s another story. Now we can get going. But in a regular season, just allow them to feel good about themselves and just play well.”
Embiid’s health has allowed the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks to beat the Sixers over the years. Having All-Star teammates next to him to lessen the load could keep him healthy for the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
Joel Embiid Acknowledges Tough Road Ahead
The Sixers have formed a trio of All-Stars and have added some help in their rotation with Andre Drummond, Caleb Martin, and Kelly Oubre. However, Embiid understands that playing for a winner will take time.
“It feels like you’re starting from scratch,” he told Bontemps. “And I know there’s going to be a lot of growing pains. But you just got to stick it together.
“The goal is always to win a championship, but it just doesn’t happen overnight. And hopefully, it doesn’t take us as much time as it should when you’re trying to bring up everybody on the same page and making sure everybody knows their role and what they got to do to make sure that we achieve that goal.
“But we’re going to do the best job possible.”
The Sixers are projected to play better with their new additions. However, the Eastern Conference will not be a cakewalk for them.
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Joel Embiid Gives First Thoughts on Fit With Sixers’ New Big 3