The Philadelphia 76ers just pulled off a 106-100 win against the defending champion New York Knicks, but you wouldn’t know Joel Embiid had a big hand in it just by looking at the box score. Yeah, he shot a rough 4-for-15, put up only 13 points, and coughed up four turnovers. But hold up, because this first game of the season for the Sixers showed exactly why Embiid is still one of the most impactful players in the league, even when his shot isn’t falling. He still grabbed 11 rebounds, dished out six assists, and blocked three shots. That’s a triple-double threat right there, even on an off night scoring.
The All-Defensive Embiid Just Showed Up Early
Forget the offensive struggles for a minute, because Embiid looked like a totally different beast on defense. He was moving better than he has in a long time, looking agile and powerful. The dude’s been healthy all summer, working on his body instead of rehabbing some nagging injury, and it showed big time. Those three blocks were huge, and he just deterred so many Knicks from even thinking about attacking the basket. Embiid knows it too. He said after the win, “I felt good. I think this year’s going to be back to All-Defensive Team like in the past. So, felt good. Moving great. Felt like I was all over the place, so I need to do that every game.” If he keeps that up, the Sixers are going to be a problem on that end of the floor.
Embiid Had 3 Fouls, So He Called the Shots and Saved the Game
Here’s where it gets wild. Embiid, with his ridiculously high basketball IQ, actually suggested a defensive switch at halftime. With him in foul trouble, he told the coaching staff to put LeBron James on Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns. Coach Nick Nurse, clearly trusting his superstar, went for it. Embiid switched to Josh Hart, and James took on the Towns assignment. Embiid admitted, “It changes everything. I had three fouls. I suggested that to the guys, the coaching staff, because I just felt like the way they were calling fouls, I just felt like I wasn’t , and I was just being honest , I wasn’t going to be as aggressive as I should be on defense, having three fouls, wanting to stay on the floor. I just told them I thought we should do that. It was great.”
This isn’t just a random suggestion, either. Embiid and James played together on Team USA in the 2024 Olympics, so they’ve got this insane chemistry already. James being there means Embiid gets a breather sometimes, and that’s critical. Embiid explained, “That’s another big body that’s able to guard the post. PJ Tucker was the last one that we had who could do that, that can switch off and guard those bigger guys in the post. Last year we had PG (Paul George), but PG, he did a great job, but he’s a little light. So, having Bron, we did that in the Olympics, we’ve done that in the past, that’s a good thing to kind of, change a little bit as far as , especially what you’re going against.” That kind of in-game adjustment, driven by a player no less, can be the difference maker in close games against top competition.
First Game, Yeah, But This 76ers Team Just Showed Its Ceiling
Look, it’s just the first game, right? Embiid knows there are 81 more of these battles ahead and the Sixers have a long way to go to figure everything out. But you’ve gotta love the energy. Embiid said, “Obviously first game, started a little slow, but we picked it up, especially defensively, in that third quarter. That just gives you a look at what we can become. So kind of tapped into that from the first game. But that was great. I mean, everyone was all over the place, and that was great to see.” That third-quarter defensive clampdown against the reigning champs is exactly what you want to see early on.
The Sixers roll into their home opener on Thursday against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and you know they’ll be fired up. With Embiid leading the charge, both physically and mentally, this team has some serious potential to tap into as the season gets rolling.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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