Joel Embiid just dropped a bombshell about his playoff showdowns with Jaylen Brown, straight up telling ESPN’s Malika Andrews that Brown “had no chance” of stopping him. The kicker? These two are now teammates in Philadelphia, after an offseason that also saw LeBron James join the squad. Talk about an interesting locker room dynamic!
That Savage Playoff History
Embiid wasn’t pulling any punches when he reflected on those intense Eastern Conference first-round playoff matchups between the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics last year. He had plenty of battles with Brown, and the trash talk was flying. “I’ve had a lot of battles with him. One thing that I’ve always respected is how competitive he is,” Embiid said. You gotta respect that, right? Even when the 76ers were down 3-1 in that series, Brown decided he was going to step up and try to guard the big man.
But Embiid’s take on Brown’s effort? Pure gold. He said, “Even when we came back down 3-1 against them last year, he took the challenge of guarding me. He knew he had no chance of getting a stop but I guess the other guys couldn’t do it. And he was like, ‘I’ve gotta try something.’ You can only respect that. … He knew before [he couldn’t stop me], but you still gotta try… and find out.” That’s classic Embiid: giving props for the effort, then immediately reminding you of the outcome.
From Foe to Friend, With LeBron In The Mix
In the four games Embiid played during that seven-game triumph over the Celtics, he was an absolute monster. We’re talking 28 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists on average. Yeah, those numbers back up his confidence a bit. So it’s no wonder why Brown and Embiid were jawing “plenty” in that series.
Fast forward to today, and everything’s flipped on its head. After a monumental offseason, Brown isn’t just a former rival; he’s now a teammate in Philadelphia. And if that wasn’t enough, they also brought in LeBron freaking James. Suddenly, the guy Embiid was roasting for “having no chance” is on the same side. One can only imagine Brown is pretty stoked to let someone else take on the task of guarding Embiid down in the post going forward. This new-look 76ers squad just got a whole lot more interesting, and you know we’re all gonna be watching how these new teammates gel after such a fiery past.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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