Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Philadelphia 76ers face the New York Knicks tonight with a crucial decision on their star big man's availability
- The team must manage a key injury while preparing for an aggressive defensive strategy from their opponent
- Success hinges on the player maintaining his dominant postseason form against a focused and relentless attack
The Philadelphia 76ers are simply a different team with Joel Embiid on the floor. The big man is a powerful scoring threat, acts as a hub for the screens and hand-offs that get Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe going and anchors the entire defense. His return from appendix surgery helped spark the 76ers' first-round comeback against the Celtics, leading Philly to three straight wins to overcome a 3-1 deficit.
Luckily the 76ers can expect to have him on the court in New York tonight, as they look to even things up against the New York Knicks. The ill effects of the appendix surgery seem to be over but he's still dealing with a nagging ankle issue that has him listed on the injury report.
Joel Embiid is probable for Game 2 against the Knicks
Embiid may be listed on the injury report but the indications are that he'll play tonight. That's good news for Philly but it's certainly not simple.
Embiid averaged 28 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists in the four first-round games he played against New York. But he struggled mightily in Game 1 against the Knicks, with just 14 points, 4 rebounds and an assist, shooting 3-of-11 from the field. As Dan Devine pointed out, New York was relentless targeting him in the pick-and-roll and it was part of what juiced their offensive attack:
"According to Synergy Sports Technology’s tracking, New York shot 11-for-14 from the field on plays after forcing Embiid to defend the ball-handler in the pick-and-roll, scoring 29 points in 16 possessions — a monstrous 1.81 points per possession — when targeting the big fella in the two-man game. That, to put it mildly, is an unsustainable figure for the Sixers if they want to have any chance of pouring some cold water on a Knicks offense that’s been scorching hot for the last four games."
The 76ers defense thrives with aggressive perimeter pressure backed by Embiid as the last line of defense in the paint. The more he's pulled into action and out of position, the thinner the margin of error is for Paul George, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe closing down space at the 3-point line while still cutting off driving angles for Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby.
The 76ers are better off with Embiid on the court but they need him to play closer to the level he did against Boston — imposing his will at both ends of the floor and making things easier for his guards and wings.
Projected 76ers starting lineup and depth chart with Joel Embiid
STARTER | POSITION | BENCH |
|---|---|---|
Tyrese Maxey | PG | Quentin Grimes |
VJ Edgecombe | SG | Quentin Grimes |
Paul George | SF | Justin Edwards |
Kelly Oubre | PF | Justin Edwards |
Joel Embiid | C | Andre Drummond |
The 76ers have been playing an incredibly short rotation throughout the playoffs with Justin Edwards and Quentin Grimes as the only non-bigs seeing regular minutes off the bench. (Andre Drummond and Adem Bona both helped fill in while Embiid has been out).
They've been outscored by just over 10 points per 100 possessions when he hasn't been on the court in the postseason so there are no obvious answers in tweaking the rotation, going small or trying to hunt specific personnal advantages. They simply have to win their minutes with Embiid on the court or they have no chance in this series. Having him in the game is step one. Now they just have to figure out how to help him be the best version of himself against Karl-Anthony Towns, Mitchell Robinson and the Knicks.
More NBA news and analysis:
Add us as a preferred source on Google