With coach Brett Brown’s job status in question, Joel Embiid wondered about his future with the Philadelphia 76ers, after they were eliminated from the NBA playoffs in a 110-106 loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday.
“I’m not making the decisions. I’m here in Philly. Whatever happens, happens,” Embiid said, answering a question about uncertainty with the franchise. “I’ve always said I want to end my career here, and if it happens, well. If it does not happen, well, then you go through and all that stuff.”
Several times during the regular season and again, Embiid began to emphasize that he wanted to be the focal point of the team’s offense. But his role shrank a bit as he took three fewer shots and averaged four fewer points per game than last season. He also played about three minutes less per game because the Sixers tried to keep him fresher.
Embiid sometimes had to make room for teammates by playing away from the court. Specifically Ben Simmons, who thrives more on discs and in transition than playing on the perimeter. The offseason addition of Al Horford, who often flourished when she played in the season without Embiid, also hit the field.
“I can dominate low, but then again, to help the team, it’s not always about me,” said Embiid, who led the 76ers on Sunday with 30 points and 10 rebounds in Game 4 of this first round. series in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. “And with the grid we have and – if it’s the same grid next year – I should be able to clean the floor.”
Embiid, who has three years and $ 95 million left on his contract, said several times after the loss that he “is not the GM”, but seems to doubt some of the moves the team has made over the past two year has made.
“I just feel like, a few years ago, when we made the playoffs for the first time, we had a lot of great players that were lined up here or formed in Philly and we had a lot of guys, especially situation,” said Embiid.
“And then we, as you know, decided to deal a lot of it with the picks and stuff for Jimmy. [Butler], Tobias [Harris], and we got a bunch of great players in return. Like I said, it just did not happen. We could never find a rhythm this year. It’s disappointing. There are many regrets. I felt like the focus was not always there. And we need to do better; we just had to look at ourselves in the mirror and just do better. “
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