The Philadelphia 76ers are going to go nowhere if Joel Embiid is not at his absolute best in the 2020 NBA Playoffs. The All-Star big man was dealing with a shoulder injury right before the league was suspended in March and now that he is fully healed, he has been dominant in Orlando.
Embiid had another big game on Wednesday as he scored 29 points and 11 rebounds in a 107-98 win over the Washington Wizards inside the bubble. He had his way with Washington big men Thomas Bryant and Moritz Wagner and he had another big game passing out of the double teams.
He has received criticism in the past for not being in good enough shape for the postseason and that has killed the Sixers in the past. During the break away from the game, coach Brett Brown said the big fella has been in the gym working hard on his fitness level and that is something that has been on full display in Orlando.
“I feel like he’s more assertive,” said veteran Al Horford. “He’s been more impressive. You can tell he took care of his body and really trying to be ready to go on the court and he’s gone to great lengths to stay healthy, getting treatment, getting his work in, and all of those things. He’s doing everything he has to do. It’s no surprise that he’s playing at such a high level.”
Al Horford speaks on Joel Embiid’s mindset so far in Orlando #Sixers pic.twitter.com/bycgF1gs16
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) August 5, 2020
Normally, Embiid does get tired and the Sixers have to compensate in some form or manner, but the big man has been engaged in all facets of the game and he has done a good job of really being a leader for this team on both ends of the floor.
“He has to get credit for coming in here with the fitness base that we’ve talked about,” Brown said. “I think that there’s carry-over from the work that I’ve seen so far.”
The biggest thing that has been impressive with his game so far is the passing out of the double teams. He normally has a myriad of turnovers when the opposition sends waves of defenders at him, but he has continued to make strides in that area while in Orlando thus far.
“He’s passing out of the post at a highly efficient rate,” said Brown. “I think that the turnovers in previous years in fourth periods where it gets a little bit sloppy, I think he’s delivered. I think that he’s strong with his decisions out of the post, in general, and I especially see it in crunch time play more than I don’t.”
The Sixers now move on to face the Orlando Magic on Saturday at Disney World. [lawrence-related id=36213,36205,36198]