Opening night was full of extremes for the Philadelphia 76ers. Joel Embiid was terrible. Not only did he finish the night with four points on nine shots, but he did so against a Celtics team that lost essentially its entire front court to injuries, free agency or trades over the summer. Philadelphia won the game because Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe went nuclear in a 74-point explosion. It was as if we were watching a franchise change hands in real time, 48 minutes of Wally Pipp getting benched for Lou Gehrig. The 2023 MVP was the past. The 24-year-old All-Star and the No. 3 overall pick were the future.
That’s still probably true, but Philadelphia fans can breathe easy knowing that Wednesday’s Embiid is starting to feel a bit more like the aberration after a far stronger Saturday follow-up. He scored 20 points in 20 minutes, seemingly his current on-court limit right now to preserve his health. Though he’s not nearly as bouncy as he was a few years ago, he moved somewhat more comfortably than he did against the Celtics in Saturday’s win over the Charlotte Hornets, even notching a couple of steals.
Was this the player who won MVP three years ago? No, but it was a reasonably effective player, one who may not have been able to stay out there long enough to swing the game in crunch time, but who could at least do his part earlier on to keep it close enough for his teammates to finish the job. That hasn’t always been the case for essentially any of Embiid’s career. He’s barely played over the last two years. If Philadelphia isn’t careful, that will be the case for the rest of his career.
In essence, Saturday was our first glimpse at what could be the new normal in Philadelphia, one in which a carefully managed Embiid is preserved enough to have some impact rather than sitting games out entirely. His minutes limit will likely increase over time, but within reason. He’s guessed that he’ll never play in another back-to-back. Some Embiid is better than none at all.
The 76ers were never equipped for a part-time Embiid before. There are…
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