Joel Embiid, Sixers discuss normalcy while dealing with Ben Simmons saga
The Philadelphia 76ers have had a roller coaster of emotions over the previous days. They welcomed Ben Simmons back to practice after he ended his holdout. Coach Doc Rivers tossed him from practice on Tuesday, which led to a suspension for the season opener. And the Sixers won their opener.
That is a lot to handle for a team, yet the Sixers have remained steadfast. If there has been any infighting, they have done a good job of hiding it.
Joel Embiid, who had 22 points, six rebounds and five assists in the opener, has preached togetherness during the Simmons saga, and that has not changed.
“The main thing I’ve been preaching is just go out there and have fun,” said Embiid. “Having fun is sharing the ball, playing with each other, like I said, in practice, our attitude has been the same. We’ve been practicing hard and the same way we played today, that’s what we’ve been doing in practice, but it was good to kind of get off to a good start. Get a win and kind of forget about off-the-court stuff. Like I said, it’s not our job. Our job is to win.”
And win they have done. While the Simmons situation has threatened to pull the team apart, Embiid and the Sixers have kept their heads on straight and focused on their job, which is to win basketball games. The team looked solid in the preseason when the main guys played, which then led to opening the season with a win on the road.
“I keep saying it; I think for them, it’s been normal,” said Rivers. “The only abnormal part is they gotta talk to the media afterward and they’re asked questions, but they’ve been great. I’m telling you, you can’t see it because obviously, you’re not in the practices, but for them, it’s about playing basketball and growing together and they’ve done a great job of that.”
On Wednesday, the Sixers certainly didn’t look like a team going through adversity. They were up and cheering for each other on the bench while allowing each other to enjoy success.
“For us as a team, you see us on the sidelines, we want those guys to be successful the same they want the starters to be successful,” said Tobias Harris. “We pull each other up the same as when we come to the bench and they made a run tonight. The guys on the bench were encouraging us to step it up as well so it’s that kind of accountability that we hold for one another, but that’s how good teams are made.”
Also, in some situations, going through times can bring them together.
“Sometimes adversity makes you stronger,” Tyrese Maxey added. “It makes a bond closer, and we just gotta keep building, keep getting better day by day.”
The Simmons situation will continue to cast a dark cloud over the Sixers until the situation is resolved, but Embiid is feeling confident in what his team is able to do without the disgruntled star.
“I thought the starting lineup did a good job and, obviously, the bench came in and they did an even better job. But at the end of the day, it also started on defense,” Embiid finished. “Like I’ve been telling the guys, I think our defense is gonna be fine. We just need to be together, follow whatever we’re supposed to do defensively, and we’re gonna be fine.”
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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