Joel Embiid led the Philadelphia 76ers to a comfortable victory over conference rivals Boston Celtics Friday night (99-111). The superstar big downplayed the need for significant moves ahead of the 2022 NBA trade deadline on Feb. 10.
The Sixers are still looking to find a deal for Ben Simmons, who is away from the team since the start of the season. Embiid discussed the team’s outlook after tallying 25 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists in a 111-99 victory.
“When I look at where we are when we’ve got most of the team healthy, especially me in the lineup, I think we are 21-9. That’s not bad. That’s up there with the best records in the NBA. All that tells me is we just got to stay healthy, keep doing what we’ve been doing…these guys just allow me to do what I do best offensively and defensively.
“I feel pretty good. I don’t think we’ve played our best basketball yet, we still got a long way to go, we’re missing guys here and there that could really help us. There’s really no urgency to change anything. We’ve got everything we need, we’re going to keep on going and I’m happy.”
The 76ers claimed their 8th win in the last nine games, improving to 24-17. They are ranked fifth in the East, 3.5 games behind the leading Chicago Bulls, who experienced a heavy defeat at the hands of the Warriors last night.
Philadelphia’s FO has made known that they won’t allow Simmons, a former first overall pick and a three-time All-Star, to leave for nothing more than a top-25 NBA player like Damian Lillard or Bradley Beal.
At the same time, many franchises seem to be interested in the Aussie point-forward. However, none of these teams has made a satisfying offer for the Sixers.
