Joel Embiid keeps his reaction to Sixers’ trade deadline politically correct: ‘I believe in myself’
Embiid's comments following a 119-115 loss the Lakers come after he said last week that he hoped the Sixers would not make moves to duck the luxury tax and instead aim to improve the roster.
LOS ANGELES — When asked to assess the 76ers’ approach and execution at the trade deadline, Joel Embiid kept his comments politically correct.
“The only thing I’ll say, I believe in myself,” Embiid said late Thursday, after the Sixers dealt guards Jared McCain and Eric Gordon and did not add any players. “I believe in Tyrese [Maxey]. I believe in everybody in this locker room. But the main thing is I believe in myself.
“So no matter what, we’re going to go out there and compete and still try to win it.”
» READ MORE: Sixers takeaways: Second half turnovers, Joel Embiid’s scoring and more in loss to Lakers
Those comments came exactly one week after Embiid said publicly that he hoped the Sixers (29-22) would not make moves purely to duck the luxury tax and would instead try to bolster a roster that, after Thursday’s 119-115 loss at the Los Angeles Lakers, sat in sixth place in a crowded Eastern Conference.
“Hopefully, we keep the same team,” Embiid said then. “ ... We’ve got a good group of guys in this locker room and the vibes are great. ... Hopefully, we think about improving, because we have a chance.”
When those previous comments were referenced to Embiid following Thursday’s game, the standout center coyly quipped, “I don’t remember what I said.” And as Embiid answered questions about the trade deadline, he deliberately looked at a Sixers public relations staffer observing the media session and paused multiple times before speaking.
Like his teammates, Embiid complimented McCain’s impact and wished him well with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“I felt like [McCain] was starting to find himself there [after knee and thumb surgeries],” Embiid said from his locker inside Crypto.com Arena, “especially considering what he was doing last year. OKC got a great one.”
The departures of McCain and Gordon, who was dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies, are at least a temporary blow to the Sixers’ guard depth before the buyout market opens. Those losses are particularly crucial while starting wing Paul George serves a 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy. The Sixers surrendered a 14-point second-half lead against the Lakers, and four starters played more than 37 minutes in the team’s third game in four nights.
Yet there is reason for Embiid, the 2023 NBA Most Valuable Player, to have re-instilled self-belief after struggling with knee issues the previous two seasons.
» READ MORE: The Sixers got under the tax and took a small step back at the NBA trade deadline
He put together another monster stat line against the Lakers, totaling 35 points on 13-of-19 shooting, seven rebounds, seven assists, and two blocked shots. In his last 11 games played, he is averaging 31.4 points on 53.2% shooting, 8.1 rebounds, and 5.1 assists to put himself in All-Star contention. And though Embiid has not been cleared to play in back-to-backs, he has logged 34.9 minutes in that timeframe and is moving and elevating better.
“I’ve made a lot of progress, and I think this is only the beginning,” Embiid said. “I think, from now on, every single day … keep stacking them up, it’s only going to get better. With the hope that, whether it’s by the playoffs or next year, I’m really, really back to being myself. I’m on my way there.”