Daryl Morey, the new president of basketball operations at the Philadelphia 76ers, has labelled all-star big man Joel Embiid as ‘the kind of player you win championships with’.
Morey, who became known for his work with the Houston Rockets’ five-out offensive scheme, lauded Embiid’s game-changing abilities, and his absolute potential to win the Sixers a championship.
“Joel is a dominant, dominant big man,” Morey said.
“I’m excited to get back to that.”
The comments clearly nod to the lack of a powerful centre in Houston in previous years, and it will be interesting to see how Morey and his new team approach off-season moves with two paint-dominant stars in Ben Simmons and Embiid respectively.
The calls have come from far and wide amongst the Sixers faithful that the key to unlocking the team’s best potential is to surround that pair with shooters, spacing the floor, and allowing Simmons to drive and kick with quick catch-and-release guys at the end of his passes.
The talent is there, and the pedigree in the coaching ranks and front office appears a major upgrade from the last handful of years. All eyes are now on this off-season, and season 2020/21 to see what happens in Philly.