January 28, 2022
Moments after the Sixers finished disposing of the Lakers on Thursday night, Joel Embiid had a frank assessment for his performance, a 26-point, nine-rebound, seven-assist night in yet another victory for Philadelphia.
"I had a bad game today. I'm sure it was bound to happen, especially with the stretch that I've been on, and especially as a team we've been on," Embiid said. "Sometimes that's going to happen, bad nights are going to happen. I was terrible tonight, so I can't wait for the next game to try to do better."
That assessment is somewhat harsh, but it reflects both the game we saw and the standard Embiid has set since returning to the lineup from a COVID-layoff. Opposing big man Anthony Davis was able to steal the spotlight from Embiid in the first half of Philly's win, hitting shot after shot while pestering Embiid (and even blocking a couple of his shots) on the other end. Embiid has often made life miserable for Davis, dating back to a series of meetings across his time in New Orleans. Seeing someone take it right at Embiid, currently in the best form of his life, was a bit jarring for anyone following the Sixers closely this season.
Rather than letting the difference in scoring efficiency define the game, Embiid put on his playmaking shoes and invited the pressure L.A. sent at him from all over the floor. His seven assists arguably undersell his impact on the game as a passer, where his growth has allowed him to jump up another level in the league hierarchy.
Dominant as he was as a one-on-one player in the post to start his career, Embiid has been haunted by the visions of playoff defeats. The wake-up call he seems to have needed was Philadelphia's bubble playoff defeat at the hands of the Boston Celtics in 2020, a series where his individual numbers were strong but the final outcome not very close. That sparked a more serious approach to his off-court habits, with the sting of two previous playoff defeats already in his brain. Passing, though, is not always where Embiid's mind drifts when you ask him about his progress over the last two years.
"I was a post-up player, it was easy to double team me and I really couldn't, I struggled," Embiid said. "When you go back to the Toronto series or the Boston series, we just needed to add something else to my game to make sure, how are we going to beat them if they're going to double me? So now, I'm handling the ball, I'm shooting off the dribble, stepbacks, and all that stuff. Might be considered bad shots for someone my size, but that's what you need to do in order to dominate."
Those additions to his game — as well as his increased effectiveness running the break — are no small part of his ascent to the MVP conversation. But those doubles are coming for Embiid no matter how many sweet moves he adds to his game as a scorer. Even the highest-skill players are going to struggle to maintain their effectiveness when two different guys crowd their airspace, and Embiid frequently sees two guys on his hip before the ball even gets to him, the respect running that deep in opponents.
Evolving as a passer, then, is the backbone of Embiid becoming a potential title-winning player. Spots where Embiid used to get into trouble by picking up his dribble have turned into golden opportunities for the big man to survey the floor and toss the ball toward space, trusting his teammates to do the rest:
Cross-court passing has become a huge part of his repertoire by necessity as much as anyone else. With Embiid backing players down in the post, opponents love to send help from the weakside to try to catch him napping, an approach Embiid has learned to play around over the last two seasons. His head coach noted Thursday night that his step forward as a passer puts him in rare company around the league, allowing him to win in very different ways when the moment requires it.
"He decided okay, you guys are going to trap me all game? Fine, I'm just going to make everybody better," Doc Rivers said. "The great, great, great players of the league are the only ones that can really do that, where they have the ability to either hurt you with scoring or hurt you with the pass because you're trying to take him out. I thought he really played a good floor game in the second half."
Over time, his teammates have figured out a better way to play off of Embiid, perhaps because the center has shown a willingness to direct traffic and send them on their way lately. Guys like Matisse Thybulle cut toward the rim for dunks and layups with the knowledge that Embiid is going to find them, rather than stare them down before launching up a contested jumper. In fact, there are even times when Embiid has a favorable matchup and a quality shot opportunity only to move the ball elsewhere, in possession of the knowledge that sharing the ball builds trust.
Teammate Georges Niang knows this as well as anyone. Serving as the strong-side outlet next to Embiid at times on Thursday night, the career 40-percent shooter from deep was gifted multiple quality looks by the Lakers in the second half of Thursday's game, all because L.A. felt uncomfortable leaving someone on an island to defend Embiid. And where the ball might have stuck in the past, it's flying out of Embiid's hands and into the arms of a waiting shooter now.
"I think it just speaks to Joel's growth as a player," Georges Niang said after Thursday's win. "Joel knows he can score whenever he wants. He can fight through double teams and take tough shots, but I think as an All-Star and superstar in this league, you kind of have to be able to leverage your teammates and be able to make plays for them. He's our anchor. I think his growth as a leader and as a playmaker are what takes us to the next level moving forward... I think the most impressive part is that as a player, you're really focused on the guy in front of you. He has to focus on the five other guys out there and his teammates. So the fact that he can read the defense and get the ball to the right guys is impressive, and it's just a credit to his work and his growth."
You cannot go double when you are the first pass out. Not sure if this is by design or THT just going but too easy pass for Embiid to kick out to Niang. pic.twitter.com/ptjqJk2HUr
— Mo Dakhil (@MoDakhil_NBA) January 28, 2022
It makes his goals, lofty as they may sound, almost seem reasonable in the end. If you can copy from such a wide variety of players to have your coach comparing you to Olajuwon, Ewing, and Garnett, who's to say you can't go down as one of the best to ever do it? That's the bar Embiid has set for himself, and through 48 Sixers games this season, he's clearing it with room to spare.
"I work hard to add everything possible to my game to be even more of a complete player. When I'm done with basketball, I want to be considered a winner, and I also want to be considered probably the most skilled player ever," Embiid said with a smile. "Especially for my size — seven two, six hundred pounds."
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