PORTLAND, Ore. — When Joel Embiid is making jumpers, displaying the uncommon outside touch that has defined his career while running pick-and-pop action with Tyrese Maxey, he’s a great offensive basketball player.
When Joel Embiid is getting to the basket off the dribble, not settling for jump shots and playing with his back to the basket in the paint, he becomes one of the best offensive players in the world.
There is a difference.
Embiid is capable of dominating a game from the perimeter. That skill alone is a part of what makes him such a special player. But, when he refuses to settle, and when he decides to force his will on an opponent, that force spreads to the rest of his Philadelphia 76ers teammates.
It’s been almost a calendar year since the Sixers have seen that Embiid, the one who’s active on both ends of the floor, instead of laboring up and down. On Monday night, in a 125-103 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, Embiid’s season-high 37 points, and the way they came provided as strong an indication yet that he’s getting back to full health.
The story of the greatest players in NBA history. In 100 riveting profiles, top basketball writers justify their selections and uncover the history of the NBA in the process.
The story of the greatest plays in NBA history.
Buy
He’s played well in pockets this year. There was a 35-point game when visiting the Grizzlies on Nov. 20. He gave the Celtics 27 points on Christmas Day before dropping 32 against the Jazz over the weekend. But there was a spring in Embiid’s step on Monday that hasn’t always been present. He ran the floor. He set screens and even re-screened a couple of times during the same possession. When the Blazers tried to double, Embiid didn’t accept the fact that he was double-teamed. He looked like he has finally found a rhythm after being largely in and out of the lineup over the bulk of the season.
“I think it’s a decision the defense has to make,” Embiid said. “If the defense gives me the jumper, I’m going to take it. But if the defense presses up on me, I want to drive to the basket, so it’s all about trying to read what the defense is trying to do. I used my left hand tonight, and I’m proud of that. Using my left was a point of emphasis. So, as I started making a lot of jumpers, I think the defense started pressing up on me, and that’s when you saw me start to drive to the basket.”
the big fella was on fire. 🔥
37 PTS | 9 REB | 3 AST | 12-13 FT vote @JoelEmbiid for #NBAAllStar: https://t.co/MkbjLhykqa@PALottery pic.twitter.com/1BrrM8yawk
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) December 31, 2024
The best thing that can be said about the Philadelphia 76ers right now is that they are returning to a state of normalcy. The Sixers are about basketball, making adjustments on the floor and weathering minor injuries. They aren’t in the news for team meetings, or losing 14 of their first 17 games with a talented roster. They aren’t making waves for locker room altercations, or will-he/won’t-he when it comes to Embiid’s health.
It’s allowed the Sixers to focus on themselves as a group, and the results are beginning to show. They have won eight of their last 10 games. They have won 10 of their last 13. They followed a groundbreaking win over the Celtics with wins over the Jazz and the Blazers. You look at that, and think, well, those aren’t impressive. The Jazz and the Blazers don’t want to win games. And there would be a lot of truth to that. But good teams follow up big wins, like the one over the Celtics on Christmas Day, by beating the teams that should be beaten.
That’s how you stack wins in the NBA. You just go out there and consistently play well. For the first time this season, the 76ers are starting to consistently play well. They are now 13-17 overall, including a 3-0 record on a current road trip that will last six games. They have climbed out of the bottom of the Eastern Conference and are tied for the final Play-In spot. That may not seem like much, but the Sixers were a walking disaster early in the season, and they currently look like a completely different team.
“I’ve been saying for a while, we’re just starting to play a lot better,” Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse said. “We’ve gone a long stretch where we are starting to take whatever has come. We have a few minor injuries, and we just keep on rolling. We are dealing with some foul trouble, and we just keep on rolling. What I’m most happy with is that we’re starting to get a defensive mentality to us. And that can take you a long ways. Defense travels on the road, and we’ve started to do it at a high level. These guys have worked at it. There have been lots of long practices, and it’s starting to pay off. So, these guys deserve all the credit.”
Nurse said that he’s still trying to get a feel for certain rotations. But some staples are beginning to stand out. When Paul George, Caleb Martin and Kelly Oubre are on the floor together, they are wreaking havoc defensively. They are long and athletic wings who are active on the defensive end, and they have been making it difficult for opponents to run offense.
Indeed, on Monday, Oubre came up with eight steals, spearheading a defense that created 36 points off Portland turnovers. Maxey, after a bad shooting start to the season, has been terrific of late. He’s shooting it a lot better, but he’s also getting into the paint off the dribble consistently and getting out and finishing in transition. He and Embiid have been a potent duo offensively, while George is still feeling his way through the offense.
But it all starts and ends with Embiid and what level he plays at. The road back to dominance has been a long one for him. And it will continue. There will still be missed games. There will be games where he feels better than others physically. But this has been a three-game stretch when he has looked pretty close to himself. And because of that, the Sixers have looked pretty close to what people thought they would look like when president of basketball operations Daryl Morey put the roster together.
“He was very good at being aggressive tonight,” Maxey said. “He used his pump fake. He used his pace. He played with a lot of physicality tonight. He is starting to look really good. He looks healthy, and he looks like he’s starting to feel better and get a rhythm. That’s what we’re used to seeing from him. He’s Joel Embiid.”
Sign up to get The Bounce, the essential NBA newsletter from Zach Harper and The Athletic staff, delivered free to your inbox.
(Photo: Amanda Loman / Getty Images)
