(Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images)
With the NBA offseason well underway and the NBA Summer League set to end on Monday with its championship game in Las Vegas, Nevada, the topics are starting to dry up as free agency has fizzled out, and there don’t seem to be any blockbuster trades on the horizon unless the Utah Jazz trade Lauri Markkanen.
That said, shows that depend on hot takes and building narrative around star players are starting to struggle to find topics to discuss, but that hasn’t stopped ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins from stirring the pot regarding Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid.
Now that Team USA is headed into the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France, next week, there’s been some buzz about Embiid and how he doesn’t seem to fit on Steve Kerr’s roster, especially not in the starting lineup with Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis looking like the best player on the squad right now while coming off the bench.
Fortunately for Embiid, regardless of how well he and the Americans play in the Olympics, he has the 2024-25 NBA season to look forward to, where general manager Daryl Morey has been hard at work building a talented roster around him and Tyrese Maxey.
Next season, Embiid will get to play alongside fellow superstar Paul George, which will significantly increase the team’s chances of competing for an NBA title, but Perkins believes that will come with a lot of pressure to succeed via ClutchPoints.
“He’s under the most pressure. He’s under Jayson Tatum-type pressure. There’s no other player in the league that’s under the most pressure like Joel Embiid… He has the necessary pieces to get it done,” Perkins said.
“He’s under the most pressure. He’s under Jayson Tatum type pressure. There’s no other player in the league that’s under the most pressure like Joel Embiid… He has the necessary pieces to get it done.”
– Kendrick Perkins
(via @ESPNNBA)pic.twitter.com/RaRNsQ1HG2
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 19, 2024
Although Perkins has been known for some wild takes in the past, this one is pretty spot-on, as there’s no doubt that Embiid will face tremendous pressure to live up to expectations next season while making the 76ers a legitimate title contender.
With the Boston Celtics still the cream of the crop, the Milwaukee Bucks expected to bounce back, and the New York Knicks reloading, Philadelphia will have a tough challenge ahead in the Eastern Conference.
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