Sixers Notes: Embiid, Brown, “Trust The Process”

The Sixers saw another close game slip away this afternoon as Joel Embiid was limited by a minutes restriction, writes Derek Bodner of PhillyMag. Coach Brett Brown admits it can be frustrating to have to take out the star center with games on the line, but he considers himself the “steward” of the organization and wouldn’t consider deying orders in the heat of battle to try to get a victory. “You come up with some really hard decisions that maybe don’t favor me, or us, or whatever, but for the long-term lens that we all have, we have to be responsible with Joel Embiid, and our [other] players,” Brown said. “We all get what we have in Joel Embiid. So winning a game in the middle of November in 2016, sometimes that takes a back seat.”

There’s more news out of Philadelphia:

• Embiid is putting up All-Star numbers in his limited minutes, but he is just beginning to show how good he can be, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The rookie center is working to regain his full measure of athleticism after two seasons lost to injury. Embiid says he still can’t finish at the rim the way he expects to. “I feel like I can push myself to being more athletic,” Embiid said. “I haven’t really been able to, like when I attack the basket, to go up like and try to dunk on someone because I don’t have that yet. So it’s just about me getting in the weight room with it, just lifting and working on making sure I stay strong.”
• Embiid wants to help bring glamour back to the center position, Pompey writes in another story. He is one of a handful of talented young big men who are putting up impressive numbers in a league that has de-emphasized post play.“I think the big man is the main piece,” Embiid said. “Offensively, getting rebounds, and when you got a big man that can score down low and do everything [it] is always good for the team.”
• Brown enjoys the “Trust the process” chant that Philadelphia fans have adopted whenever Embiid goes to the foul line, relays Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. The phrase is a nod to former GM Sam Hinkie, who collected assets for years without fielding a competitive team in the hopes that a winner would eventually emerge. Embiid has taken on the nickname for himself, and the fans have responded. “When the crowd gets going with ‘the process’ and Joel anoints himself ‘Trust the process,’ there’s a side of it, I say, ‘Good for the crowd, good for Joel,’ and none of us are going to take ourselves too serious,” Brown said.