The Philadelphia 76ers are continuing to work out their kinks on the floor as they work out their awkward roster. The biggest awkwardness on the floor is the duo of Joel Embiid and Al Horford down low. They are two more traditional big men who can shoot but prefer to do most of their work in the post.
So with Embiid sidelined since January 4 with a torn radial collateral ligament in his left hand, he has been able to watch the team a bit from afar and observe a little bit.
For example, Ben Simmons and Josh Richardson have each recently won an Eastern Conference Player of the Week award so that has been impressive. Then there’s Furkan Korkmaz who has blossomed into the 3-point bomber that coach Brett Brown has been trying to grow all season.
“It’s been great, I’ve been happy for them. They’ve been exceptional,” said Embiid. “Can’t forget about Furkan, I think he also needs to get a lot of credit. From time to time, we struggle shooting the ball and I think he’s been that guy that’s been the most consistent, but everybody has been doing a great job.”
Then, there’s the play of Horford. The veteran big man is averaging 13.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 5.1 assists since Embiid has been out. All of those numbers are up from his season averages and it’s something to keep an eye on.
“It’s always a challenge,” the All-Star added. “New guys learning to play with each other, but I think eventually we’re going to get it right.”
Embiid believes that the pairing with Horford does not have many problems to fix. The big challenge for the duo is that they don’t have much spacing to work with when they’re out on the floor.
“It’s really nothing,” he explained of the duo. “I think at times, we’ve struggled with the spacing on the floor and it’s just not about us. I think he’s been great, I think he’s been doing a great job. I think it’s mostly about the team. We’re still trying to figure out when to put everybody on the floor, but we’re going to be fine.”
The Sixers host the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday before hosting the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. Embiid will be reassessed on Monday in hopes he can return sooner rather than later. [lawrence-related id=24168,24160,24150]