September 11, 2026
Colleen Claggett/For PhillyVoice
Joel Embiid has still yet to notch an Eastern Conference Finals berth.
Welcome to PhillyVoice's series of Sixers player previews ahead of the 2026-27 season.
After two years of volatility, Sixers fans entered this offseason teetering on apathy. Then came new Sixers President of Basketball Operations Mike Gansey, the architect of what became a dream summer. Gansey traded Paul George away, landing five-time All-Star Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics. As Gansey accumulated depth around Brown, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, the door opened for an unfathomable addition.
LeBron James is a member of the Sixers, rounding out one of the most talented starting lineups in recent NBA history. And suddenly, the Sixers have cultivated more local and national interest than ever before. Games are not won on paper, but the Sixers are built to be full-blown championship contenders for however long James remains in Philadelphia.
As Sixers Media Day on Sept. 28 nears, our player preview series will focus on two key questions surrounding each member of the team's 14-player standard roster.
Up first: Joel Embiid, no longer the player the Sixers will be reliant on to remain competitive – but, in all likelihood, still the player the Sixers will be reliant on to be championship contenders. Is Embiid going to make major changes to his game in the aftermath of this summer's roster turnover? Where do the Sixers need him at his best the most?
SIXERS PLAYER PREVIEWS
Perhaps the best way to start this discussion is looking at Embiid's gargantuan usage rates over the last five years – and noticing a slight decline over the last two years:
| Season | Joel Embiid USG% |
| 2021-22 | 37.2 |
| 2022-23 | 37.0 |
| 2023-24 | 39.6 |
| 2024-25 | 34.2 |
| 2025-26 | 33.5 |
Yes, Embiid has still carried massive usage rates over the past two seasons, but he has experienced a noticeable dip from the years beforehand. Embiid's career-low usage rate is 32.9 percent (2019-20), and there is a real chance he drops below that figure in 2026-27.
The argument can be made – and it is probably correct – that even these Sixers will not experience the highest of highs should Embiid fail to be an absolutely dominant interior force in the biggest moments. But for pockets of games and stretches of an 82-game schedule, Embiid will be able to act as a decoy, a facilitator and even a hub. In three years under Sixers head coach Nick Nurse, Embiid has made enormous strides as a passer. This includes – but is not limited to – his two-man work with Tyrese Maxey:
Vintage Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey two-man work: pic.twitter.com/7oYgwPpsD9
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) January 30, 2026
In addition to perhaps spending more time focused on playmaking, Embiid's three-point shooting stands out as something worth watching. He will never be optimized by simply spacing the floor, but when the Sixers have their projected starting lineup on the floor, there may be times he is relegated to that role. If he shoots spot-up threes with quickness and confidence and positive results follow, it will be much easier for that five-man unit to figure out its fit – and provides the Sixers with a much greater safety blanket offensively.
Embiid has some of the best shooting touch of any big in NBA history. He has shot 83.0 percent on free throws for his career and displayed arguably the most prolific mid-range game ever developed by a center. Yet after shooting a career-best 38.8 percent from beyond the arc (5.2 attempts per 100 possessions) in 2023-24, Embiid has only made 32.2 percent of his long-range tries (6.5 attempts per 100 possessions) over the last two seasons.
Perhaps Embiid's down seasons from long range are products of variance and poor health. He has spent a considerable portion of the last two seasons compromised as an interior scorer, which has forced him to rely more on tough shot-making. If he continues to exert force inside, it will set into motion a chain reaction which includes cleaner looks at threes. Of course, having a brilliant 6-foot-9 point guard with dynamic downhill driving ready to drive and kick will help on that front, too.
SIXERS FILM STUDIES
Jaylen Brown's strengths | Jaylen Brown's weaknesses
Anfernee Simons | Dean Wade | Ariel Hukporti
For most of his career, Embiid has been one of the single most impactful defensive players in the NBA. Then came the 2024-25 season, where his diminished mobility made it impossible for him to keep up on the perimeter or stabilize things for the Sixers on the glass. Early on last year, he might have even been worse on those fronts. Even as Embiid's offensive skill began to shine through in a major way again, he was a net negative player for a while because his lack of movement skill hamstrung the Sixers:
Some rough moments for Joel Embiid on the glass and the defensive end of the floor down the stretch of the Sixers' loss in Chicago on Friday: pic.twitter.com/iRYg4Ml5Vt
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) December 27, 2025
As the season went on, Embiid became a stout rim protector again, but Nurse (rightfully) did all he could to keep Embiid parked in the paint. Whenever teams were able to draw him out to the perimeter, he got exposed. It was particularly ugly at points during the playoffs – an emergency appendectomy clearly made life a lot harder on Embiid at that point – and doomed the Sixers' chances of holding up defensively.
For as long as Embiid can even leave his feet a bit, he will probably be one of the better rim protectors in the league given his extraordinary timing and IQ. But on the defensive end of the floor, the swing factor for him will be defending in space. Nurse will never instruct his team to switch everything when Embiid is out there, but eventually Embiid will have to prove he is at least somewhat viable defending on a switch every now and then. Embiid has looked noticeably slim in pictures posted this offseason, and perhaps that trimmed-down figure will lead to better mobility.
It has often been said that Embiid's defense is more important to the Sixers than his offense. It has never been true. It is probably still not true. It will likely never be true. But it has never been closer to being true than it is now.
SIXERS SIGN LEBRON JAMES
James' decision | Projecting Sixers' rotation | James' impact, on and off the court
