The New Season Is About to Begin

"Embiid was on the MVP list last season too, wasn't he?! Talented people can do whatever they want. Only the weak need intense training to catch up with prodigies! The Emperor didn't even touch a basketball for the first time until he was sixteen! Just four years later, he entered the League as the Third overall pick! And now he's already one of the best players in the League, okay?!"

"Sure, sure. An MVP candidate who got beaten up by Kawhi in the Playoffs and gentleman-swept in the first round~~"

"Sure, sure. An MVP candidate who didn't even rank in the top five~~ Actually, I was an MVP candidate last season too. I just ranked one billionth in the world~~"

"One billionth? That's pretty impressive of you~~"

"Come to think of it, the 76ers haven't made much noise this Off-season. Didn't they make a big move every year for the past few years? Their roster looked better and better on paper each season."

"The 76ers' front office has probably started having doubts too. Is there really a future with Embiid and Simmons as their core? Those two are both made of glass~~"

"Embiid is still worth looking forward to, I think. Simmons... has genuinely gotten more ridiculous every year. He went through an entire season last year without even attempting a three-pointer. Can you believe that? He's an NBA-level guard, for crying out loud!"

"A guard? What kind of guard drops into the low post to fight centers for easy buckets when the team's running a half-court offense?"

"I'm dying. That guy entered the League the same year as Chen. Chen's already closing in on a thousand made threes, while Simmons hasn't even attempted fifty~~"

"Fifty? Sorry, it was twenty-seven! Someone kept track: three for twenty-seven, an 11.1% success rate.