Sixers' Dwight Howard Urges Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid to be Selfless
When Dwight Howard inked a one-year contract with the Philadelphia 76ers a couple of weeks ago, the team got a stellar backup center for Joel Embiid. However, Howard brings a lot more to the table as he's a seasoned veteran coming off of a championship-winning season with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Before last year, Howard didn't know what it was like to achieve the ultimate goal of winning the NBA Finals. Now, he comes to the Sixers with tons of wisdom after seeing it all come together first-hand.
At the age of 34, Howard won't be the focal point of a possible Sixers championship run. Instead, he knows that Embiid and Ben Simmons will have to come together and make it all click. . . but he knows it won't be easy.
"Playing alongside other stars, you know, sometimes it can be difficult," Howard explains as he's been in the same shoes as Embiid and Simmons in the past. "It can be difficult because you want to be that guy."
So, how do the Sixers young stars get past any previous struggles of coexisting? Take the advice of Howard, who has seen LeBron James and Anthony Davis make it all work out while with the Lakers last season.
"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. 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 so natural."
In the past, many have speculated that Embiid and Simmons don't exactly get along for several reasons. Typically, it's assumed that one wants to outshine the other. However, both young stars have made it very clear that they both want to win. So, it starts with them, making it all come together.
"Once you're willing to give yourself up, great things tend to happen for you," Howard explained. "When you have two guys like that, who are willing to do whatever it takes to win -- it kind of brings up the morale of the team."
The good news is, early impressions of Embiid and Simmons have been good in Howard's eyes. "I can see that in Ben and Jo," Howard said. "You know, those two guys coming together and putting aside any ego, pride, or anything and saying 'hey, we're both here for one mission and that's winning a championship, and it starts and finishes with us two'."
If Simmons and Embiid can maintain that kind of on and off-court relationship throughout the 2020-2021 NBA, then the sky is the limit for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_
