The Philadelphia 76ers are led by two of the best players in the NBA in Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. The two of them have both made All-Star games, All-NBA Teams, and have put up some big performances.
However, they have not been able to get over the hump in the playoffs. Questions about whether they can win and play together have been brought up due to their different play styles and everybody tries to figure out how to fix the duo.
New addition Dwight Howard just finished up a season winning a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Those two are the brightest stars in this league and they were able to put everything aside in order to win a title.
Howard says Simmons and Embiid have to do the same.
“Watching AD and LeBron, everything they did was together,” Howard explained. “They worked out together, they ate together, they rode bikes together, we called them the brothers. They were always together, playing video games, doing something. I took that as ‘OK this is what Ben and Joel, they have to be that way. They have to know each other so much on and off the court that when they’re playing, it’s just natural’.”
For the star duo in Philadelphia to move forward, they have to put their egos aside and they have to focus on the only thing that matters and that is winning a championship for the organization. They have to be selfless for each other.
“‘OK, I know Jo needs a touch right now, let me get him an easy bucket,” Howard continued. “‘Ben is frustrated, let me set a screen for him, get him a couple dunks, a couple shots at the rim just to get hisself going.’ Once you’re willing to give yourself up, great things tend to happen for you. I watched that with LeBron. Even though there were games LeBron was having triple-doubles, he made sure he fed AD and AD got off. I just think when you have two guys like that who are willing to do whatever it takes to win, it brings up the morale of the team.”
Seeing that Embiid is only 26 and Simmons is only 24, there is still time for all of this to come together. Embiid is just about to enter the prime of his career while Simmons has not even hit it just yet. The Sixers will go as far as they can take them and it is on them to really lead the way.
“I can see that in Ben and Jo,” Howard added. “Those two guys coming together, putting aside any ego, pride, or anything and saying ‘Hey, we’re both here for one mission and that is to win a championship. It starts and finishes with us’ and I saw that with LeBron and AD. They put everything on their shoulders. They knew they had guys around them, but it was ‘OK LeBron, OK AD, we got to do this, it starts with us. We got to be on the same page at all times’ and they did a really good job of it.”
Howard was once in their shoes as a young star in this league. He did not win because he let his ego in the way. If there was any advice he’d give to his younger self, it would be the same thing he is saying to Embiid and Simmons right now.
“I think I’ve always wanted to win, but just embracing the culture of winning where nothing matters except the goal of winning a championship,” he added. “Just embracing that is something that I would have told my younger self and your NBA career, it goes by fast so enjoy every little moment, every game, everything counts.
I think the young guys that we have, they can’t take any moment for granted, because you never know what can happen in your NBA career and every moment that you have to win and be successful and be around a great team and a great atmosphere, you have to stay in that moment.” [lawrence-related id=39781,39766,39734]