While the Philadelphia 76ers have been impressive in their first two games of the new season, an NBA scout firmly believes it is only a matter of time before Joel Embiid puts his personal success ahead of his team’s.
After winning the offseason by trading for Jaylen Brown and signing NBA icon LeBron James, the 76ers are the most fascinating story in the league to begin the 2026-27 campaign. The two All-Stars were added to a roster that already included Embiid and a top-10 scoring talent in Tyrese Maxey.
On paper, they could be fantastic. If their stars are willing to sacrifice their numbers at the altar of success. Well, so far so good, because Philadelphia owns a 2-0 record to begin the campaign after very nice wins over the defending champion New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
NBA scout on Joel Embiid: ‘He’s going to get pissed. He’s going to stop playing defense’
Furthermore, Embiid’s play on both sides of the floor has been encouraging, since he is the star who will probably need to sacrifice the most on offense so the 76ers can be a legitimate title contender. However, in a new report from ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, a rival scout told the NBA insider he is not sold on the idea that Embiid will make big sacrifices and expects him to undercut their title hopes.
“I think it’s going to be a problem, and that could railroad them. I just don’t buy it right now. He’s going to want the ball more. He’s going to get pissed. He’s going to stop playing defense. He’s going to stop running.”
– NBA scout
The seven-time All-Star slimmed down in the offseason in the hopes that it would allow him to be a difference-maker on defense and keep him healthy. Embiid’s defense was a problem during last year’s playoffs, and the Knicks targeted him often. The one-time MVP has not played in more than 60 games since the 2022-23 season.
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