For the Philadelphia 76ers to have any shot at knocking off the Boston Celtics in Round 1 of the 2020 NBA Playoffs, they will need Joel Embiid to dominate down low and pick up the slack without Ben Simmons.
He has been dealing with nagging injuries over the last few seeding games between an ankle injury and the hand injury he suffered, but coach Brett Brown still feels like he is in a good position to lead the way. The great ones take their games to another level come playoff time and Brown believes he is doing just that.
“Playoff face,” Brown explained. “The understanding although everybody’s internal clock got bumped a little bit, you get that the playoffs are here. I see how he moves around a practice facility, the questions that he asks, the engagement he has with his teammates. I see an older, more mature leader. When you’re playing the Boston Celtics, it’s amplified. I think that he’s in a really good place.”
The Sixers have stated that they feel confident in this series due to the fact that they have Embiid, but with Simmons out, it feels as if he has to give even more. He is going to have to lock in and Brown sees that from his star big man as the team prepares for this series.
“There is zero doubt mentally he’s as good as he’s been, he’s in a great place,” Brown added. “He understands, especially without Ben, the responsibility, the opportunity that he has. I think his head and his mind is in a really great place. I think, physically, he’s fine. I’m going to play him more than a regular-season game in relation to rotation.”
Tipoff between the Sixers and the Celtics is set for 6:30 p.m. EST from inside the bubble. [lawrence-related id=36903,36896,36886]