76ers center Embiid and guard Simmons have been the subjects of endless questions about their chemistry, with repeated claims that the pair cannot play together for Philadelphia due to contrasting styles.
Reports have also claimed the 76ers could deal one of the players in pursuit of a title, with big man Embiid apparently seen as the most likely to be moved on should Philadelphia explore a trade.
Redick knows Embiid and Simmons better than most, having spent two seasons playing alongside the pair before joining the New Orleans Pelicans in 2019.
"They are both incredibly intelligent, and I'm always betting on guys that are smart enough to figure things out. And they will," Redick told The Athletic.
"The numbers kinda say that, when they're on the court together, they do pretty good: 2018, pretty good; 2019, pretty good; 2020, still pretty good, but not as good right?
"I don't think they're changing, so maybe the people around them are changing. That, to me, just goes back to the right fit and the right pieces.
"I think that they [Embiid and Simmons] can fit together, for sure."
Redick's time in Philadelphia was successful, his shooting – especially from three-point range – helping the 76ers reach the Eastern Conference semi-finals last season.
Since leaving Wells Fargo Center, Redick has seen 76ers head coach Brett Brown heavily criticised amid doubts over his future after Philadelphia struggled for consistency, particularly on the road, prior to the postponement of the NBA due to coronavirus.
While boasting an NBA-best 29-2 home record, the 76ers were 10-24 away from home to be sixth in the Eastern Conference.
The 35-year-old guard said: "I would love to play for Brett again. It's always easy to blame certain people. I don't think Brett is the problem, if there [even] is a problem.
"He is incredibly thorough, incredibly detailed. The thing that I always appreciated, maybe the most, about Brett is how thoughtful he is. There is a purpose to team meetings. There is a purpose to film sessions. There's a purpose to practice. There's a purpose to walk-through. There's a purpose to your daily schedule.
"Everything is so thought-out and meticulous. It's, I think, one of the main reasons that he's who he is as a coach and has gotten to this level."
This year marks the 73rd edition of the NBA on Christmas Day, having started playing games in 1947 – the league's second season.
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers will be on show – the defending champions the headline act against Luka Doncic's Dallas Mavericks.
The Brooklyn Nets will be spearheaded by Christmas Day specialist Kevin Durant when they lock horns with the Boston Celtics, while Erik Spoelstra and the Miami Heat will be hoping for another Merry Christmas as they go head-to-head against Zion Williamson's New Orleans Pelicans.
Giannis Antetokounmpo – fresh off signing a mammoth supermax contract – will lead the Milwaukee Bucks against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, and Kawhi Leonard's Los Angeles Clippers will seek to avenge their stunning capitulation against the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semi-finals.
We look at the best stats and facts on Christmas Day in the NBA using Stats Perform data.
361– James has the most career points on Christmas Day among active players, ahead of Durant (270), Russell Westbrook (241), James Harden (208) and Carmelo Anthony (186). All-time, James ranks third and he needs 17 points to surpass Oscar Robertson (377) for second place and 35 to leapfrog Kobe Bryant (395) for first place. The four-time NBA champion and MVP, who helped the Lakers snap their 10-year title drought in 2019-20, is also second for most career rebounds among active players on Christmas, behind former team-mate Dwight Howard (114) with 108.
97 – Lakers superstar James tops another category… assists. The 35-year-old is clear of Westbrook (82), Harden (58), ex-team-mate Rajon Rondo (55) and Curry (48) among active players. James is set to make his 14th appearance on Christmas Day. He has a 9-4 win-loss record while averaging 25.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game. James is one win behind Dwyane Wade's record.
20 – Durant has scored at least 20 points in nine consecutive Christmas Day games, the second-longest streak in NBA history behind Robertson. The latter had 20-plus points in 10 straight games from 1960 to 1969. Durant has averaged 30.0 points in nine games on Christmas – an average only bettered by Anthony (31.0) among active players.
7-0 – Heat head coach Spoelstra is yet to lose in his seven Christmas Day contests. If last season's NBA Finals runners-up Miami win, Spoelstra will tie Phil Jackson for the longest Christmas Day streak by a head coach to start his career. The Heat have an NBA-best 10-2 record in games played on Christmas Day, while they have won seven successive games.
22 – The Lakers are playing on Christmas for the 22nd successive season, the second-longest streak in league history. The New York Knicks top the list following 38 straight appearances. The Lakers have the most all-time wins on Christmas Day with 23.
6– Six players have recorded a triple-double in a Christmas Day game – Draymond Green (2017), Westbrook (2013), James (2010), Billy Cunningham (1970), John Havlicek (1967) and Robertson (1960, 1961, 1963 and 1967).
60 – Bernard King holds the record for most points scored on Christmas Day. King registered a 60-point haul for the New York Knicks against the New Jersey Jets in 1984.
23 – The Pelicans' JJ Redick shares the record for most three-pointers on Christmas Day, alongside Houston Rockets star Harden. James and Durant have both made 22 shots from beyond the arc.
7 – Nets guard Kyrie Irving holds the record for most steals in a Christmas Day game following his performance for the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Warriors in 2016.
1-5– Of the current NBA franchises, the Nuggets have the second-worst record on Christmas Day, just ahead of the Toronto Raptors (0-2). Since 2010, the Nuggets are 0-3 – the worst run.
That is the view of JJ Redick, a former Pelicans team-mate.
Injuries have limited Williamson to just 85 games in the NBA since he was drafted in 2019, meaning the discussion around the forward has instead centred on his commitment to the Pelicans.
The team have made moves to try to build a competitive team in the absence of a potential superstar, who averages 25.7 points for his career.
But McCollum, the latest recruit from the Portland Trail Blazers, said at the weekend he was yet to speak with Williamson directly.
And Redick, speaking on Tuesday, was able to offer an insight into life alongside the 21-year-old, whose status remains unclear as he waits to play his first game this season following a foot injury.
"This just shows a complete lack of investment in your team, in the organisation, in the city," Redick told First Take.
"I get that he's hurt and away from the team, but you just traded for one of the 50 best players in the league – a guy that's supposed to be paired with you. Reach out and say, 'hello'.
"This is a pattern of behaviour with Zion that we are seeing again and again. I was his team-mate; I can describe him as a detached team-mate – that is an accurate statement."
Redick, who joined the Pelicans at the same time as Williamson and left in March 2021, said: "Yes, he's been amazing when he's been on the court – 100 per cent.
"He's amazing to watch. There's no one that can do what he does on a basketball court.
"But as a team-mate, there is a pattern of behaviour; as a fully invested individual in New Orleans, there's a pattern of behaviour. This is worrisome."
