The latest episode of The Old Man and The Three podcast had JJ Redick talk about a lot of things. What started with an honest tribute to Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojević, soon reached about Redick reminiscing meeting Joel Embiid for the first time. In fact, he’s also remembering the time he met the Spurs’ the-then assistant coach, Brett Brown, comparing Embiid to the legendary Tim Duncan.

Embiid truly has otherworldly abilities. And JJ Redick can testify to this by taking us all back in history to his first meeting with Embiid. The story is about the time when he’s going to his free agency meeting with the Philadelphia 76ers at their facility in New Jersey.

He said, “I told this story a million times. We’re back in Brian Colangelo’s (then Sixers GM) office and Brett is in there, the owners. Everybody’s in there. And Brett Brown said ‘I was in San Antonio a long time and I coached one of the greatest players ever (Tim Duncan), and we won a lot.’ He said, ‘this motherf**ker is Tim Duncan.’” 

The comparisons started to come in since 2016 when Brett Brown spoke about him to CSN Philly how Embiid was going to be the “focal point” offensively and defensively. Brown said it right then that Embiid has the same “it” factor like Tim Duncan.

This is what he said at the time, “You see him and he just has ‘it’”. He further added, “Years ago, you saw it with [Tim] Duncan. I see it with him in regards to a real target offensively and a real sort of centerpiece defensively.”

Embiid finds his mentor in Tim Duncan. He wears #21 to court, just like him, keeps in touch with him for leadership advice, and tries to do what Duncan has done. He’s basically trying to tear apart a chapter out of Duncan’s book all this while. But has been able to live up to the expectations so far?

Can Joel Embiid end his long wait for an NBA title?

The fact that Joel Embiid hasn’t been able to guide the Sixers to an NBA title has led to numerous fans downplaying his remarkable individual achievements. Many have labeled Embiid as a “choker,” suggesting that he shies away from responsibilities during critical moments. The only way Embiid can prove his doubters wrong is by winning the NBA title.

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However, at the moment, the Sixers aren’t well equipped for an assault on the NBA title. Although the Sixers possess talented players like Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris, they still are a big piece shy of becoming a legitimate title contender. The Sixers’ hierarchy should do everything under their control to trade for a star player. Players like Zach LaVine and Dejounte Murray are reported to be on the trade block, and both the players will certainly improve their chances. The city of Philadelphia is yearning for an NBA championship and could Joel Embiid be the player who can bring glory to the city?

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