Sixers Have “Pressure to Cash In” Over Joel Embiid and Paul George, According to ESPN Insiders

Joel Embiid and Paul George are now teammates on the 76ers, something that has put the franchise squarely in ‘win-now’ mode. On an episode of The Hoop Collective, Tim MacMahon Brian Windhorst, and Tim Bontemps admitted that Maxey’s young age would certainly be reassuring to Philly fans.

However, the three unanimously agreed on the fact that PG’s age (34) meant that the team had to push to win as soon as possible. This paired with the fact that Joel Embiid (30) isn’t getting any younger either just about set their situation in stone.

Windhorst: “I think the [76ers] time pressure is a little bit more on them, if for nothing else than because of Paul George’s age”

Bontemps: “Or Joel [Embiid]’s injury history, I mean like you can’t walk away from that. Like he’s a huge guy. He’s had a ton of injuries…”

MacMahon: “And he’s [Embiid] 30. Like how long is his prime going to be? We don’t know. But, there’s pressure to cash in while he’s an MVP-caliber player.”

Windy then set aside the pressure for the 76ers to succeed. He chose to congratulate the team on how well it had transitioned from James Harden’s disastrous spell with the Sixers, before explaining how badly it could have turned out for the franchise.

“Now you got to go. So, I mean I definitely that they’re in this tier. I think that they did a pretty good job considering what happens to teams, how they get hollowed out when they have to open up cap space”

The NBA Insiders are right on the money with their verdict on the 76ers at the moment. Yes, they do have a little cushion in Maxey. However, the team’s lead stars are already in their respective primes. One of them could even be close to his twilight years in the NBA.

Fortunately, the franchise looks robust as presently constructed. Now, the hope is that head coach Nick Nurse can bring out the best from his roster, and at least make a deep run in the 2025 NBA Playoffs.