Did Celtics Shatter Joel Embiid’s Faith In Staying With Sixers?

The Boston Celtics failed to reach the NBA Finals, but they might’ve done right by their cause in the Eastern Conference by eliminating the Philadelphia 76ers.

In fact, the Celtics could be responsible for derailing Philadelphia’s ‘Trust the Process’ train after Boston overcame a 3-2 series deficit and bounced the 76ers out of playoff contention for the third time in the last six years.

Joel Embiid, who was named regular season MVP, is yet to experience playing in an NBA Finals — or the conference finals — during his elite seven-year run since being drafted by Philadelphia third overall in 2014. Therefore, the Celtics could very well be credited for dragging Embiid to his breaking point with Philadelphia.

“I just want to win a championship. Whatever it takes,” Embiid told Maverick Carter during an Uninterrupted Sports Film Festival on Thursday, according to ESPN. “I don’t know where that’s gonna be, whether it’s in Philly or anywhere else, I just want to have a chance to accomplish that. I want to see what it feels like to win that first one, and then you think about the next one. It’s not easy, but it takes more than one or two, three guys. You got to have good people around you, and myself, every single day, I work hard to be at that level so I can make it happen. So, every single day, I’m working towards that.”

Granted, this is broad but the overall sentiment within Embiid’s stance isn’t new.

Hampered by a sprained LCL in his right knee, Embiid was just a shade of his MVP-winning form, averaging just 25.5 points with a significantly less aggressive edge, constantly deferring to teammates that he didn’t trust. This became abundantly clear in Embiid’s Game 7 postgame commentary.

“Can’t win alone,” Embiid told reporters, per NBA TV video. “I can’t win alone. Me and James, we just can’t win alone. That’s why basketball is played five-on-five. So we just need everybody to just keep finding ways to get better and we’ll be fine.”

Again, nothing new.

To Embiid’s credit, being Boston’s punching bag on a year-to-year basis in the playoffs isn’t fun, and Philadelphia’s front office hasn’t given the 29-year-old much reason to stay long-term. They drafted Markelle Fultz — passing on Jayson Tatum and Donovan Mitchell — first overall in 2017, failed to re-sign Jimmy Butler — a playoff stud — and completed a sign-and-trade with the Heat in 2019 and put Embiid through the demoralizing Ben Simmons experience.

Having been subjected to adapting to new cores and three different head coaches, it’s not hard to understand Embiid’s possible resentment of the 76ers. Philadelphia’s collapse is almost expected at this point, always finding new ways to underachieve after an encouraging regular-season showing.

Meanwhile, salt is added to the ever-growing wound of the oversold “process” in Philadelphia with Boston doing right by its stars, adding Kristaps Porzingis along with a new-look coaching staff after falling a win shy of a second consecutive trip to the finals.

If not careful, the 76ers could easily have a situation similar to Damian Lillard’s unwillingness to commit to the Trail Blazers, with Embiid through a possible forced trade to greener pastures.

Embiid is under contract with Philadelphia for the next four years, having a player option in 2026 and is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2027.