We’re ALL IN on the Healthy & Revamped 76ers | Rachel Nichols & Chris Mannix

We’re ALL IN on the Healthy & Revamped 76ers | Rachel Nichols & Chris Mannix

All right, let’s talk about a team that has drafted pretty well, but is now in a state of limbo, and that is the Philadelphia 76ers, who years and years ago, maybe it was a lifetime ago, took that flyer on Joel Embiid, waited two whole seasons and got an MVP out of it. U drafted Tyrese Maxi late in the first round, years later. He is an all-star right now. They acquired Paul George last year began with the loftiest of expectations and ended with the heaviest of crashes. Uh, a awful season for Philadelphia. They hit the lottery. They wind up with a good draft pick. They get VJ Edgecom, top three pick. So now they’ve got another young dynamic talent to add to that mix. I was looking today at the overunder number of wins for the Philadelphia 76ers and it’s listed right now at 42 a 12. I can’t bet on my phone here in California, but as soon as I get somewhere to bet on my phone, you’re not supposed to bet on the NBA. You can bet on the NBA. You know, what you can’t do is bet on uh as an awards voter vote on that, but I can vote over on hammering the over on the 76ers. Hammering the over. I am Look, maybe I’m going to look like a like a jackass when it’s all said and done. Wouldn’t be the first time, but I’m just all in on these social media posts of the Sixers. Like, I I I’m just like I see Joel Embiid and and I don’t see any knee brace on him. I I see Tyrese Maxi and and he’s balling out. I see BJ Edgecomb and oh my god, he’s going to be a dynamic rookie that competes for rookie of the year. I see Paul George doing like chest presses and I’m impressed. I’m like, “Ah, Paul George, he’s in great shape. He’s ready to go.” Look, maybe they won’t be the number one seed in the Eastern Conference, but if you’re asking me right now if I think Philadelphia can exceed 42 and a half wins, I am giving you a stone cold Steve Austin like hell yes to that question because I think they’re going to be a very good team in that conference. Yeah, absolutely. I I think it’s completely over that line. I will say your favorite city, Vegas. The lines aren’t set on how people who are knowledgeable about the game. And by the way, the people who set the lines are very knowledgeable about the game. The lines aren’t set by who they think will win and who they think the under over titles. It’s set by how the money comes in. And the public is very easily sort of my money comes in. Right. Well, let’s tweet that one. tweet that like no it’ll be 44 and a half by the time I’m done. Look, this we are in a sports culture right now where everybody is either amazing or terrible, right? So the 76ers, they’re trash, quote unquote, right? They’re trash. The Joy Embiid’s never going to stay healthy ever, ever. Like and that’s why the money comes in and has the Sixers at 42. Obviously, I think people looking at that roster know this team has real potential in this conference with Boston and Indiana unfortunately crippled by injuries. And again, as it has been for years and years, a lot of it depends on the health of Joel Embiid because he is so dominant because he is just such a presence and the gravity he provides. Paul George obviously I think you know you have to expect an up and down injury season from him. That’s just what we’ve seen. It’s been a couple exceptions where he’s played 78 79 games, but in general it’s sort of he’s gone for four games, he’s back. He’s gone for two weeks, he’s back. I think that is probably something you can average out. But the real question is how much of the season are they getting Joel Embiid? How consistently so those guys can form chemistry? And it’s not just physical health, right? It’s in the mind as well. And again, I want to reiterate, I am not calling Joel Embiid mentally weak. He has been through so much. He’s obviously incredibly mentally strong as a person and a player. But you saw last season a real reticence, a hesitation to get on the court in those sort of 50/50, do I feel okay to play situations. Every single time he would pull back and say, “No, no, I can’t play.” And I told you once that it felt to me like a Top Gun where uh Tom Cruz sometimes was like, you know what, it was when they did the final battle and he was like, “No good. It’s no good. It’s no good. It’s no good. It’s no good.” So I think he has to get over that hump of the fear and it is reasonable right it is appropriate fear as Pat Riley used to say if you have been injured that much and had to spend that much time on the bench watching your team you don’t want to take that chance if you feel like it’s a little iffy unfortunately in the NBA you have to push through some of that sometimes so the mental sort of approach and sort of him just getting more comfortable with his body out on the floor and then also the physical can he stay healthy And if he can stay healthy, I would put them in that top three tier with the three other teams. I mean, they they have the talent. Like Tyrese Maxi is a stud. Like we didn’t Jared McCain coming back. Like he was outstanding during his rookie year before he got injured and lost the second half of the season. Like they’ve got a they go seven, eight guys deep with real guys. I I think you’re 100% right that everything is predicated on the health of Joel Embiid. He has got to give them 60ish games and be at full strength going to the playoffs. That is no doubt about that. I also think ancillarly that’s a word. Um we’ll call it one. It is today. How Paul George fits is is the next most important domino in the limited time we saw him out there. I don’t think he ever looked comfortable playing with that group. like when he was his final year with the Clippers, he was the man for most of it. Kawhai was hurt, you know, some during that year. Um he played what 75 games that year, was an all-star. He had the ball in his hands a lot. In Philadelphia, he’s never going to have the ball in his hands as much when they’re fully healthy. It’s going to be Embiid first. Maxi’s got to get his touches and then George gonna have to find a way to to to find his way, find his offense other ways. Maybe it’s just becoming a more consistent spot-up shooter. um different opportunities in ISO, but he’s going to have to get creative and get comfortable in that role because he’s there to me. He’s the third option in Philadelphia. Like it goes Embiid, Maxi, and then George is number two if or number three. If he he’s going to have to find a way to get comfortable in that position. On paper, it looks like it should work. Yeah. Right. We talked about these fits, right? We talked about these fits with these other teams earlier. That was a trade where it felt like, man, that’s a fit, right? You’ve got three guys, Maxi with Paul George, with Embiid. None of them do the same thing, right? So, they’re each contributing something. No one’s trying to sort of be like, “Oh, how much how much is this guy doing it? How much is that guy doing it?” So, on paper, he should feel comfortable. And by the way, since his Indiana days, which were quite a long time ago at this point, he’s always been or had a co-star, right? It’s not like he’s new to playing with a bunch of other guys on the court or with a ball dominant guy. Play with Russell Westbrook. Absolutely. And James Harden. Yeah. So, you know, this is not a new situation for him basketball-wise, and the fit should be there. So, I don’t know if the discomfort was just not knowing how to insert himself, as you said, or if the discomfort was, I’m in a new place. I’m in a new situation. You have to remember when he left LA and it was his decision, but he wasn’t just leaving the team he had been with. He’s leaving his home, his parents who he’s very close to, his extended family. So, I don’t know if it was a little bit of a Damen Lillard in Milwaukee situation and now he’s sort of more settled in Philadelphia or I don’t know if it’s a basketball situation, but you’re right. It’s got to work there. It’s a good point about the personal side of it. I I look, I don’t think he ever really wanted to leave LA. It’s just, hey, you get a four-year max offer, you take it and you pack your bags and go to Philadelphia. Maybe there is some comfort, discomfort early on, get used to it. But this is, I mean, it’s a huge year for everybody. Like for Embiid, even though he’s got years left on his contract, like this is a crossroads kind of year. Paul George, same thing. Years left in his contract, but a crossroads type of year. You’ve got an Eastern Conference that is wide open before Boston can reload, before the Pacers can come back. Boston especially, Boston kicks the Sixers ass every single year. Whether it’s the Ben Simmons Sixers, the Paul George Sixers, the James Harden Sixers, Al Horford, and that front court just owns the 76ers. No more, my friend. No more Al Horford out there. No more Boston out there. Like, this is your opportunity. The window Philadelphia is wide open for you to win the Eastern Conference right now. You can erase years of history if you just go out there and play up to your expectations. I’m very anxious to see not only how they do it, I’m anxious to see how they talk about it in training camp. Like when like when Friday comes around, like I don’t want to hear like Joel Embiid hopefully don’t hear that Joel Embiid’s like, “Yeah, we’re coming along. We’re getting there. We’re hoping to get in some pre No, I want to be like I’ll be there for the preseason opener. Paul George and always banged up right now. I want to hear like I’ll be ready to go, you know, once the season starts. Tyrese Maxi ready to hit the ground running. Jared McCain ready to hit the ground running. Like the last thing you want to hear if you’re a 76ers fan is some equivocation from the Sixers. Like, yeah, we we’ll we’ll see how it goes when we start the season. Cuz that’s what we got last year. Their season ended when Joel Embiid sort of showed up at training camp and wasn’t ready to play at all and couldn’t play the start of the season. From there it was a wrap. You got to hope if you’re a Philly fan that that is not the case this year. Well, look, you mentioned the six or social media. They have those pictures have gotten people excited. It’s mostly still excited. Wait, but it’s mostly still photographs, right? I think they It’s 5 seconds of video clips. There we saw Joan. No knee brace on Embiid shooting jumpers. Well, this is what I can say that you can tell in a photograph, right? Is he playing with a knee brace on or off? So, that’s very, you know, encouraging for Sixers fans. He’s shooting with it. Well, again, I’m way over my skis on this. No, no, no. But the other thing that you can tell in a still photograph is what kind of shape he’s in. And there was one picture released where he’s wearing kind of the half shirt, you know, let me show off whatever. And he is lighter than he had been playing at for at least last season and possibly the last couple seasons. And that makes a huge difference in those lower body injuries when you are that enormous as he is. So, that’s a good sign. We’ll see what happens for Friday. anxious to get down to Philadelphia for the start of uh their training

Chris Mannix and Rachel Nichols explain why they’re all in on the Sixers more and more as the start of training camp gets closer
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