The Philadelphia 76ers are entering the 2026-27 season with championship expectations, and team president Mike Gansey believes a healthy Joel Embiid will be at the center of it all.Joel is great, Gansey said in an interview with ESPNs Kevin Negandhi on Thursday. This is like the first summer I think in a while that hes been healthy, so hes been in the gym working out. Hes been lifting weights. Hes extra motivated. He wants to play a lot of games, and hes excited about the group weve built now.Even before these trades and LeBron, I think he was excited. So hes motivated to have a good year and hes ready to go.Philadelphias roster looks dramatically different after adding LeBron James in free agency and acquiring Jaylen Brown in a blockbuster trade, giving the Sixers one of the leagues most talented starting lineups. Gansey believes the challenge will now be making sure everyone sacrifices for the greater goal.Any given night, anyone can be the guy, Gansey said. So I think sacrifice will be big for us. But Joel is arguably the best and most talented big Ive ever been around. Hes going to be a huge piece to our success. We have LeBron and Jaylen, but Joels going to be as important as those guys.LeBrons had a lot of usage his whole career, but last year [with] the Lakers with Luka [Doncic] out, he was the guy. Jaylen last year with [Jayson] Tatum out, he was the guy. VJ and Tyrese did a lot outside of when Joel plays or doesnt play. So everyones been used to that for their career, but I think getting them all together, in camp, in practice, theyre all going to benefit from each other.Related Article: Rick Carlisle Draws Luka Doncic-Magic Johnson ComparisonOne of the biggest questions surrounding Embiid remains his availability after he played just 38 regular-season games last season before battling through multiple injuries during the playoffs.READ MORE: Nick Nurse Reveals How LeBron James Will Fit Into Sixers
