Philadelphia 76ers: Joel Embiid shouldn’t have to drop 50 to win by 7

(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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Joel Embiid is a revelation.

He’s so clearly the best player the Philadelphia 76ers have had since Allen Iverson – maybe even since Dr. J – he’s a walking 30 point triple-double and deserves every bit of the MVP hype he’s receiving.

Facing off against a Chicago Bulls squad that is sorely lacking in defensive paint stoppers, Embiid dropped a career-high 50 points on Wendell Carter, Luke Kornet, and company, including seven points in the final three minutes. The 7-footer looked poised, powerful, and self-possessed. He knew he could get a bucket any time he wanted it, and though the game was never really in any doubt, he stuck it out for 35 minutes – three above his season average – to ensure Philly’s 20th win of the season, and Doc Rivers a chance to coach Kevin Durant’s squad in the All-Star game.

If you didn’t watch this game, you really should. If you did watch it – either live or otherwise – you’ll surely remember it forever. But with that in mind, we need to talk about the Philadelphia 76ers’ bench.

Joel Embiid shouldn’t need to be Thanos for the Philadelphia 76ers to win.

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Through the first 30 games of the 2020-21 NBA season, only one player, Nikola Jokic, has a higher win share than Joel Embiid.

Wow, crazy, right? You’re telling me a player who averages the second-most points, the third-highest usage rate, and practically touches the ball on every position is the second-most responsible player for his team’s success in the league? You don’t say?

But it’s true. While the Philadelphia 76ers are not a one-player team, as both Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris have proven themselves capable of taking over a game in similar ways, they are surely built to win around Embiid’s generational talents and often ride those talents a bit harder than they should.

Why is this relevant? Because the Sixers are severely lacking in two-way players who can impact the game either alongside Embiid or when he’s off the court.

While the Sixers do have a number of quality bench pieces who can take over a game on a situational basis – Matisse Thybulle and, when he eventually returns, Shake Milton come to mind – they really don’t have a single bench piece that one would call a two-way player.

Furkan Korkmaz is a (largely ineffective) shooter. Mike Scott is an underwhelming 3-and-D combo forward. Dwight Howard is a foul-happy rebounding specialist. Tyrese Maxey has shown promise as a two-way player, but it’s beyond clear that he’s hit a rookie wall and could probably benefit from a smaller role once Milton returns to get his sea legs under him before the pre-playoff stretch opens up post-All-Star game.

Then again, Maxey’s floater is undeniably the team’s most effective way to get points off the bench in a Milton-less world, so it would be borderline irresponsible to bench him even if he’s largely struggled in the month of February.

No wonder ESPN’s Adrien Wojnarowski is reporting that the Sixers are looking for a 3 point shooting four/five and a two-way guard to help shoulder the burden of scoring points? For all of the good Daryl Morey has brought to our fair city, the team’s lack of legit bench options may ultimately prove to be the team’s Achilles’ heel in 2020-21, as even during the playoffs, a team has to rely on an eight-man rotation.

Then again, if Joel Embiid can remain healthy and keep playing as he has been, I’m certainly not going to bet against the Sixers.

Next. Please get well soon, Shake Milton. dark

Maybe this is all being a bit overblown. The Philadelphia 76ers have the best record in the East, as many as three All-Stars, and one of the most efficient starting lineups in the entire NBA. While it’d be nice to add a player or two like Delon Wright, George Hill, or P.J. Tucker who can add some two-way production in a bench unit headlined by Shake Milton and Matisse Thybulle, who’s to say that will serve as the ‘secret sauce’ that makes the Sixers unstoppable?  With that being said, the Sixers need to figure out a way to take some of the regular season burden off of Joel Embiid’s shoulders, as he shouldn’t have to drop 50 on the Chicago Bulls to pull out a seven-point win.