In case you were wondering whether the conversation around the Philadelphia 76ers contending for a title was premature, a 106-100 win over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden is some significant evidence in support of all the hype around LeBron James, Jaylen Brown and the new-look Sixers.
Our paid subscribers already heard from me on this — upgrade now so you don’t miss a moment — but I was struck first and foremost by the defensive presence of Joel Embiid.
Whenever Embiid and [Jalen] Brunson were on the floor together, the Knicks challenged the mobility of Philadelphia’s big man. New York put him in pick-and-rolls over and over again, daring him to step into coverage to contain Brunson or back-pedal into drop coverage and risk giving up a pull-up three if Brunson’s man couldn’t get over the pick in time.
And yet, Embiid didn’t seem all that challenged. There were numerous Knicks pick-and-rolls in which Embiid stepped out to the ball and pushed Brunson away from the action long enough for his teammate to recover before booking it back to the roller. He demonstrated mobility in space, something that he found only in short spurts last season and not until the campaign was a few months deep.
But those weren’t the only moments in which Embiid showcased where his body is. There was a sequence at the rim in which he rotated from one spot to another and rejected a would-be dunk by Andre Drummond.
Sandwiching that play at the rim was a pair of steals that were made possible by Embiid simply sprinting into the play to spoil the Knicks’ plans.
I have much more here on the new offensive flow, the way Brown fits already, and the vital takeaways from Tuesday night’s win.
But let’s spend another moment on Embiid, specifically his offense.
I’ve seen this guy run out of gas in the dying stages of a season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks, slapping a pass to a teammate for an out-of-control turnover. He’s been put on minutes limits and looked like he never played basketball in his body before as he chucked up brick after brick.
But when the Sixers went to the two-man game late in the fourth quarter, holding a slim lead over the been-there-before Knicks, Embiid rushed nothing. New York threw two defenders at Maxey, leaving Embiid open to catch the ball and use the rest of the floor with four decisions to navigate.
He was patient and selfless, leveraging his own gravity in the middle of the floor to manufacture easy shots for VJ Edgecombe at the rim. Masterful decision-making.
