Sixers pre-camp questions: Will this be the year Embiid breaks through in playoffs?

Sixers pre-camp questions: Will this be the year Embiid breaks through in playoffs? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers‘ new era is on deck.

With LeBron James and Jaylen Brown on board and training camp set to begin Tuesday, we’ve taken a look at key questions for the 2026-27 Sixers.

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We’ve asked:

Last up: Will this be the season Joel Embiid breaks through in the playoffs?

Embiid is accustomed to being at the center of the Sixers’ universe.

That won’t be the case at media day Monday. The Sixers’ other projected starters are now three All-Stars (James, Brown and Tyrese Maxey) along with last year’s Rising Stars MVP (Edgecombe).

The team’s vision of playoff success still features Embiid. The 32-year-old big man was mostly excellent when available last regular season, averaging 26.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.2 blocks. He was also vital to the Sixers’ seven-game first-round series win over the Celtics, delivering gritty, skillful performances after returning from a late-season emergency appendectomy.

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Physical problems continued to plague Embiid in Round 2 and the Sixers were swept by the Knicks. Embiid has 66 playoff games, six second-round eliminations and two first-round exits in his career. The Sixers haven’t reached the conference finals since 2001. There’s a vast list of reasons for that, many of which are strange and unfortunate. The bottom line is Embiid wants better and the 2026-27 Sixers will plan to push for a championship.

What will the Sixers need from Embiid?

Improved health is first and foremost. Embiid has played just 96 regular-season games over the last three years. However, he ended last season believing that he was trending up.

“I came into this year not knowing where I was going to be, how long I was going to play, if I was even going to play based on how the knee was the last two years,” Embiid said at his exit interview in May. “I came in just hoping for the best and I feel like we’re in a position where we’ve figured out the knee. It hasn’t been an issue. If it weren’t for the oblique or some of the other stuff I had, it could’ve been…

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Publish date : 2026-09-27 21:20:00

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