The main name to watch in NBA trade rumors around the league remains Ben Simmons until the Philadelphia 76ers move him. The team currently sits in the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference standings with a 25-17 record.
The Sixers have been the most successful team in the East as of late having won nine of their previous ten games. They are tied with the Memphis Grizzlies for the best record in the NBA as a whole within that stretch.
It’s difficult to win in the playoffs without an array of dynamic talents that can create advantages that opposing teams must account for. Right now, Joel Embiid is basically the only play who fits that description on the Sixers. It’s easy to see why, he’s averaging 27.2 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in 31 appearances. His production continues to solidify his candidacy for the MVP award.
Would a trade to bring in another dynamic player be an answer that Embiid agrees with? When asked about potential roster changes for the Sixers ahead of the NBA trade deadline, Embiid made it clear he feels the team has ‘everything we need’ and has been highly successful when healthy.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Joel Embiid Continuing To Be MVP Talent In Philadelphia
“I feel great,” Embiid said, via NBC Sports Philadelphia. “A bunch of teams had COVID issues, but we had COVID issues. Any team without their best player, it’s going to be hard to win. But when I look at where we are when we’ve got most of the team healthy — and especially me in the lineup — I think we are 21-9. That’s not bad. That’s up there with the best records in the NBA. All that tells me is we’ve just got to stay healthy, keep doing what we’ve been doing.
“We’ve struggled a little bit offensively, but during this stretch we’ve been very good offensively, just moving the ball. These guys, they just allow me to do what I do best offensively and defensively. But I feel pretty good, and I don’t think we’ve played our best basketball yet. We’ve still got a long way to go. We’re missing guys here and there that could really help us. There’s really no urgency to change anything. I think we’ve got everything we need. We’re going to keep on going. I’m happy.”
The Philadelphia 76ers 4th rank fourth in the NBA in points per possession (PPP) within the half-court and are giving up the 10th fewest opponent PPP. When looking purely at the context within the half-court, Philadelphia’s offense drops to 10th in PPP while the defense improves to sixth in PPP.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Joel Embiid Continuing To Be MVP Talent In Philadelphia
A particular area that stands out as being a need to address is spot-up shooting. The Sixers rank 17th in the NBA in such situations. A key way for Philadelphia to take the next step in this area would be for Tobias Harris to find a rhythm from deep, but also, making an upgrade from Furkan Korkmaz would go a long way.
Another area where the Sixers could benefit from making improvements is in the pick-and-roll department. The team is not fully unlocking what Embiid can provide as a rim-roller with how often he’s getting the ball on short-rolls to have to attack a loaded unit. Having a dynamic pull-up shooting threat with playmaking chops could go a long way in that regard.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Joel Embiid Continuing To Be MVP Talent In Philadelphia
Despite losing no shortage of key players to the NBA health and safety protocol at times this season, the Sixers have been among the better teams in the league. It’s difficult to say they have enough to win a championship, however. It will be fascinating to see if Philadelphia 76ers management sees the roster in the same way as Joel Embiid when it comes time to weigh making moves.
