LeBron James did not arrive in Philadelphia to lower the standard. Neither did Jaylen Brown. With Tyrese Maxey already setting the tone, the 76ers suddenly have a locker room built on relentless work and accountability. That leaves Joel Embiid with nowhere to hide.

Channing Frye, LeBron’s former teammate, made things clear on The Road Trippin’ podcast. “There’s never been pressure on Joel Embiid to be a championship contender more than it is this year and next year,” he said. Frye’s point was that Embiid will no longer have room for complacency in a locker room led by LeBron James and Jaylen Brown. Their daily commitment to training, recovery, and discipline naturally raises expectations for everyone else.

According to the former NBA champ, that environment will either push Embiid to elevate his habits or expose any lack of commitment. He added, “You’re either going to get exposed, or you’re going to have one of the best years of your career because you’re going to see what these dudes are doing day in and day out, and it’s going to become the culture.”

Because of his injuries, the fans haven’t seen a very active Joel Embiid lately. However, let us not forget he was the 2023 MVP. He averaged 24.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 5.4 assists in 7 games in the 2026 playoffs. “I would say what if is Joel Embiid’s health, attitude, and mission for the year versus the Knicks and having backup centers on their bench, which made them really, really good last year. So that’s my whole thing,” Frye went on.

“But Joel Embiid, we’re not going to have these meetings about you being late to the plane or you not working out or you not being part of the team meetings and stuff like that. We’re not going to have meetings this year,” he forewarned. Many across the league have often pointed to Embiid’s work ethic. Many have even questioned his availability and commitment to the franchise and the game.

Meanwhile, in 2024-25, after a rough 2-11 start to the season, the Sixers felt tension simmer in the locker room. According to reports, “Maxey challenged Embiid to be on time to team activities, calling out the 2022-23 league MVP about being late ‘for everything’ and how it impacts the locker room, from other players to the coaching staff.”

To be fair, a fit Embiid could still be a terror on the floor. The last time he played over 60 games, he took the MVP title home. Meanwhile, LeBron James admires the 32-year-old’s basketball IQ. Yet, the King had doubts about The Process’ durability, per Ramona Shelbourne of ESPN.

Now, Embiid has appeared in only 57 games in the last two regular seasons. That is fewer than what James put up at 41 in the 2025-26 season. And to be honest, things might change at the Philadelphia 76ers with Bron and Brown’s arrival. Because they will bring brute force. Not just on the floor, but also in the locker room and in the franchise’s culture.

This will definitely be the point where Joel Embiid silences all the critics. Maybe the 2026-27 season will belong to him. And maybe Philly will once again “Trust The Process.”