CAMDEN — Joel Embiid has, among his many roles in Philadelphia, become the keeper of the timeline. He can summon the ghosts of 76ers past when he needs to make a point: the months of Jimmy Butler, the enigma of James Harden, other No. 1 overall picks better left nameless. And so Monday, in inaugurating his second decade as a 76er, Embiid began at what he deems the most important lesson from his years of shifting supporting casts. “Consistency,” was Embiid’s first word at the 76ers team facility on media day. “That’s really all I demand. I think I mentioned in the past if you keep switching guys every one year, two years, I don’t think that takes you anywhere. If you look at some of the teams that have won, most of those guys have been together for a while. So I think for me, is all about consistency.” For not the first time, the chance is here. The ink is barely dry on a deal keeping Embiid in Philadelphia through 2028-29, the year Tyrese Maxey’s contract ends. Paul George will be here for three years, as will Caleb Martin. Even Kelly Oubre is locked up for two years after last season’s audition pact. While none of it guarantees a championship drought stretching to four decades will end, it does offer the next best chance of its halting, with a nucleus that might live to see more than one City Edition jersey. To say the starting point of this year’s 76ers team is better or worse than last year’s is not the right question. It’s undoubtedly less chaotic. There’s no specter of discontent just offstage, no Harden or Ben Simmons demanding to be traded away. Instead, there’s a third star in George with a track record of deferential play. There are veterans who have won NBA championships — Kyle Lowry, Reggie Jackson — and those hungry for one, Oubre, Eric Gordon. “I think every year brings its own set of challenges,” President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey said, knowingly raising his eyebrows at the question. “Obviously we had some unique ones in prior years, but this year is a unique challenge, too. We brought in some really great players like Paul George and guys who have great playoff experience, like Caleb Martin. But we have a lot of new players. So this year, what I like is that the challenges are more traditional.” “It’s extremely important to go into camp without any negativity or outside noise,” Embiid said. “Obviously, the last few years we found a lot of those.” The man whose job it is to coalesce the pieces into a coherent whole was more circumspect. Nick Nurse praised Morey and the front office for its offseason work, which checked a number of the boxes. It added a third star in George, acquired second-unit scoring depth, toughened the backup center position with Andre Drummond and added versatile wing players who can better implement Nurse’s style of play, particularly on the defensive end. They hope Maxey will continue to grow toward superstar status and that whatever holds Embiid’s body together will prove more resilient than in the recent past. The off-court signs of cohesion through the summer are promising. The on-court indicators are still to be determined. “We’re slightly ahead,” Nurse cautioned. “Slightly. It’s Day 1. Ask me at the end of the week.” On paper, the pieces seem to fit. The front court is more athletic than last year thanks to Caleb Martin, and the backup center role is more stable with Drummond. Gordon and Jackson are veteran scorers. Young talent near the bottom of the roster can mostly stay there. Morey has resources in the draft if he needs to scramble midseason to shore up weaknesses, though the holes requiring stopgaps seem less obvious than they have in the past. But only four members of the opening night roster in 2023 — Embiid, Maxey, Oubre and deep reserve Ricky Council — are back 12 months later. Which doesn’t look like consistency as Embiid seeks it but could be the starting point for it. “I don’t think it’ll be seamless,” Maxey said. “I think it’s going to be difficult. It’s a lot of fresh faces. You’ve got to learn the offenses, got to learn each other, got to learn what each other like, what combinations work, what combinations don’t work. So once you figure all that out, I think it’ll be great. “We have the right coach, the right support system, the right coaching staff that’s going to go out there every single night and try to win games and still try to get the camaraderie right come postseason time.” Embiid has been at the center of this maelstrom for most of his career. Whether it was JJ Redick or Danny Green, several coaching regimes have pondered over how to surround the transcendent big man with the right personnel to turn regular-season promise into a Broad Street parade. He’s seen more teammates come and go than rehab technicians, which for Embiid is saying something. Too seldom, though, has he gotten time to grow with a group, to connect with teammates for multiple seasons and see what alchemy they could produce. This — maybe, finally — could be that chance. “I think for me, it’s not necessarily about which type of player,” Embiid said. “I think it’s about consistency. Having played with the same guys for a couple of years, everybody knows what they have to do, where to be. They understand what it takes, the culture.” Embiid, to this point, has understood the photo negative version, of what doesn’t build championship teams. He hopes that’s about to change. Contact Matthew De George at [email protected].