Joel Embiid says "the time is now" for the 76ers to win

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By Dan Karpuc

Published Apr 24, 2018

The center has a tendency to look too far ahead into the future

Heading into Game 5 of their opening-round series against the Miami Heat on Tuesday, the Philadelphia 76ers are sitting pretty.

Up 3-1 and with star center Joel Embiid back on the court, the Sixers are a legitimate contender to win the Eastern Conference.

It appears as though “trusting the process” has paid off.

Perhaps what’s most encouraging is the fact that Philadelphia pulled off a 106-102 victory in Game 4 on Saturday despite Embiid’s poor offensive showing.

In that contest, the All-Star shot 2-for-11 from the field for 14 points and also had eight turnovers. Although he also posted 12 rebounds and five blocks, his offensive output was underwhelming to say the least. More than ever, the performance showed that the Sixers are a strong team that isn't defined solely by the play of its stars.

"I think our time is now," Embiid said on Monday, per Ian Begley of ESPN. ".... We have a special team, a lot of great guys. I don't think we need anybody else. We've just got to work with what we have. We have a special team, and I feel like we have a pretty good chance to go far.”

Therefore, in his eyes, “the process” is over. He believes that the current roster construction is enough to keep advancing in the playoffs.

Embiid also said that he would benefit from a few days of practice in the hope of getting back into a groove offensively. Therefore, winning Game 5 would be a massive help for him.

"If we end up finishing [the series on Tuesday], then we get another couple days of just practices, and that would be a good time to get used to it and get back in the flow with my teammates," he said. "But when the offense is not working well for me I can do a lot of things, be a beast defensively, offensively set screens, roll and get offensive rebounds, play with energy if the shots are not falling. So there is a lot of stuff that I can do offensively. But I think the main thing, especially when it doesn't go my way, is to be a beast defensively."

Despite Embiid’s claim that the team can contend right now, coach Brett Brown believes that the team still has a lot of room to grow.

"I'm sure I'm biased but I feel, as I look at the playoffs and I look at our team, that we have as much room for growth as anybody. I think we have more room for growth," Brown said. "I look at that as a real exciting opportunity. You sort of go through college and now here we are in grad school, if you will, and we have a chance to learn a lot more. And we need to.”