4 minSports
Embiid Rejects Idea 76ers Stars Must Take a Back Seat
Joel Embiid says Philadelphia's star-laden roster can succeed without anyone sacrificing their game, as the 76ers close the preseason with a 125-120 overtime loss to Boston ahead of Tuesday's opener at Madison Square Garden.
Joel Embiid pushed back against the notion that the Philadelphia 76ers' collection of stars must subordinate their games for the team to succeed, saying after the preseason finale that the roster can thrive by letting each player do what he does best.
«I'm against the concept of sacrificing,» Embiid said following Friday's exhibition against Boston. «I think the way I explained it was you do what you do best, and we're going to support you.... I don't think anybody has to take a back seat.»
The question has followed the 76ers since a transformative offseason. Jaylen Brown arrived in Philadelphia as the centerpiece of a blockbuster trade, and LeBron James later chose the Sixers in free agency after weighing several teams. Tyrese Maxey and Embiid, meanwhile, have spent their entire NBA careers in Philadelphia, giving the franchise an unusual concentration of established talent.
Four of Philadelphia's stars took the floor in Friday's preseason finale, while emerging guard VJ Edgecombe sat out. The exhibition offered an early look at what coach Nick Nurse's rotation could resemble when the regular season begins next week.
Embiid appeared to be in midseason form, finishing with 27 points, eight rebounds and a highlight-reel dunk. The Celtics nonetheless held on for a 125-120 overtime victory to close out both teams' preseason schedules.
Philadelphia's star-heavy lineup looked out of sync at times. Brown pointed to spacing issues as a factor in some of the turnovers, an area the team still has time to address.
«We're not where we want to be yet,» Brown said. «So that's just a part of it. It's a part of coming together, a new group with a bunch of guys, different style, but we just got to keep getting better every day.»
James struck a similar tone, though neither player sounded alarmed about the group's ability to coalesce.
«We're getting there,» James said. «I mean, obviously we are a couple of weeks in, so we're still working on our rhythm, working on our kinks, and it's not going to be perfect.»
The 2026-27 NBA season tips off Tuesday with three marquee matchups, including the 76ers' visit to Madison Square Garden to face the reigning champion New York Knicks. That opener will provide the first real test of whether Philadelphia's stars can share the floor without anyone stepping back.
Embiid's comments suggest the Sixers will not ask their top players to abandon the styles that made them effective. Instead, the burden falls on Nurse and his staff to build a system that accommodates multiple ball-dominant players while preserving the spacing and rhythm Brown identified as unfinished.
The preseason result itself carries little weight, but the turnovers and occasional disorganization reflect the normal friction of integrating a new group. Philadelphia has a week of practice before the games count, and the matchup against the Knicks will draw immediate scrutiny given the stakes and the venue.
For now, the message from the team's longest-tenured star is clear: the 76ers intend to win with their stars playing their own games, not by asking them to shrink.
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