The Philadelphia 76ers are entering the 2019-20 season looking to take the Eastern Conference crown, though Joel Embiid feels something - or more specifically, someone - is missing.
Speaking in a candid interview with ESPN's Rachel Nichols, the 76ers center revealed he had hoped the team would bring back star swingman Jimmy Butler after the pair had become good friends.
"It was a big loss because me and him, we got to the point where we were really close," Embiid said. "We're still close. We talk a lot. That's my guy. That's my brother forever. Wish he was on the team because I feel like the relationship that I built with him could've gone a long way."
Now a member of the Miami Heat, Butler landed in Philadelphia in November after he was traded by the Minnesota Timberwolves, and though they eventually grew close, his relationship with Embiid hit some early turbulence. The center admitted he was frustrated with his new role in the weeks following Butler's addition, though he later clarified his dissatisfaction was with his own performance and not Butler specifically.
Embiid eventually came to co-exist with his new teammate. The 76ers went 43-25 after acquiring Butler, securing the third seed in the East, and the two stars learned to successfully share closing duties. With Butler now in south Florida, Embiid acknowledges he will need to take on a bigger role in the clutch.
"When it was the fourth quarter, we knew the ball was going to be in either me or Jimmy's hand and I knew I could count on him, too," he said. "This year it kind of changes around. Now, other guys got to step up and I got to do more."
