The Philadelphia 76ers are only as good as Joel Embiid

I’ve got a classic ‘good news-bad news’ situation for ya: When the Philadelphia 76ers have Joel Embiid on the court, they can pretty much go toe-to-toe with any team in the NBA.

Is that a controversial statement? Eh, maybe so – especially if you’re a fan of the Lakers, Nets, Clippers, or even the Heat – but it’s hard to argue the claim considering just how dominant the big guy has been since hiring a personal chef and having a son during the offseason.

Averaging an incredible 27.7 points and 11.5 rebounds in 31.6 minutes of action a night – all the while hitting a career-high 40.5 percent of his shots from beyond the arc – Embiid has become the focal point of Doc Rivers’ offense, an incredibly effective passer out of the paint, and a player capable of taking over entire quarters with ease.

Need further proof? Well, let’s just say you don’t win Eastern Conference player of the week without doing some serious damage – or, you know, dropping 80 on the Celtics over a three-night stretch.

However, when Embiid is out, boy howdy are the Sixers a bad, bad, not-very-good, bad team. Seriously, it’s like they forget how to play basketball, or worse, they just don’t care enough to commit on the defensive end of the court without the big man cleaning things up under the basket.

What gives?

The Philadelphia 76ers need to find an offensive identity without Joel Embiid.

More from Section 215

After putting up a ‘quiet’ 33 points in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 114-110 win over the Detroit Pistons in their first of a two-game series, Doc Rivers‘ squad took the court without the NBA’s current MVP favorite and were thoroughly trounced by Blake Griffin and company for a full 48 minutes.

Forced to play a two-man center rotation with Dwight Howard and Tony Bradley each playing up a line, so to speak, the Sixers were incapable of stopping pretty much anything going in the paint, on the wings, or anywhere else – going down 23-34 at the end of the first and failing to find a lead for the remainder of the contests.

But what gives? I get losing Embiid is a pretty big hurdle to overcome, but his presence wouldn’t have stopped Jerami Grant from putting up 25, Wayne Ellington from putting up 20, or Delon Wright dropping a career-high 28 points on 8-12 shooting from the field.

Honestly, you’d think Embiid was playing based on the numbers Griffin, Mason Plumlee, and Isaiah Stewart put up, as the trio were only able to put up 21 points in 73 combined minutes of action.

No, outside of a few nice steals from Matisse Thybulle, a bounce-back offensive performance by rookie wunderkind Tyrese Maxey, and Ben Simmons doing Ben Simmons things during his abbreviated 21 minutes of action, the Sixers turned in a dud playing against arguably the worst team in the NBA which, *spoiler alert*, is not good.

Oh yeah, did you notice that Tobias Harris had 25 points in 30 minutes of action? No? Well, neither did most, as he once again disappeared when the team needed someone – anyone – to step up and take over a game that very much could have been there for the taking based on talent alone.

That, my friends, may be the most disappointing thing about how lifeless the Sixers have looked in games without Embiid: The team is still very much talented even with their best player off the court.

Theoretically, a starting five of Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Danny Green, Tobias Harris, and Dwight Howard should have been good, especially with bench players like Tyrese Maxey, Shake Milton, and Matisse Thybulle coming off the bench. That eightsome has speed, shooting, and enough switchability to remain defensively competent with Howard perched under the basket in the dunker’s spot.

Why not run a pick and roll with Harris on ball and Simmons setting screens? Why not do the exact opposite? Why not give Maxey and Simmons more minutes together to optimize speed without sacrificing too much size in the frontcourt? Why not give the people what they want and play Simmons a few minutes at center – even if that look hasn’t been awe-inspiring so far this season?

Do the Sixers miss Mike Scott that much? Are they that bereft of frontcourt talent capable of playing on the wings, in the paint, and shooting the ball? Hm… I wonder how much the Houston Rockets would need to surrender P.J. Tucker‘s contract? If Tilman Fertitta genuinely didn’t interfere with the Sixers landing James Harden, I can’t see a reason why he would over a player who has already expressed dissatisfaction with his contract.

Clearly something has to change because the Sixers simply can’t win in Embiid-less games as things are presently composed.

Next. Excuse me, have you seen Isaiah Joe?. dark

In summation, the Philadelphia 76ers are only as good as Joel Embiid. In games where he’s on, Doc Rivers’ squad can hang with the best of the best. But when Embiid isn’t available, there isn’t much good to be found on a team with serious playoff aspirations.