“Joel Embiid is very good at basketball” is how teammate Tyrese Maxey summed up the unprecedented stat line the Sixers center posted Sunday night, writes Kyle Neubeck of The Philly Voice. In addition to scoring a career-high 59 points, Embiid narrowly missed a quadruple-double with 11 rebounds, eight assists and seven blocks in a win over Utah.
“I’ve seen a guy score a lot of points. I haven’t seen a guy score a lot of points, rebound, and then the blocked shots. That was impressive. He was getting everything,” coach Doc Rivers said. “No, is the answer. I have never seen a more dominating performance when you combine defense and offense.”
Embiid has been forced to take on a greater share of the scoring with James Harden out for a month with a strained tendon in his left foot. He’s also the centerpiece of a defense that has improved to fifth in the league. Most importantly, according to Neubeck, he provides hope every night for a team that has often seemed in danger of fracturing amid its 7-7 start.
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Sixers reached out to the Nets about Kevin Durant after his trade demand this summer and they’re likely to try again before the deadline, an Eastern Conference executive tells Sean Deveney of Heavy. However, the results of the last deal between the teams could make Brooklyn reluctant to consider Philadelphia as a trading partner. “There is no doubt the Sixers have asked on Durant, they did in the summer, and will keep asking about him,” the executive said. “But the Nets are going to be a little put off by them already because of the Ben Simmons thing because they feel like they were set up to give away James Harden all along. So the Sixers burned them once, do the Nets want to go back and say, OK, sure, we’ll do a KD deal, too.” The executive adds that Maxey would likely have to be included in the offer to get Brooklyn to consider it.
- Simmons didn’t play Sunday night because of knee soreness, tweets Nick Friedell of ESPN. It hasn’t been determined if he will need another MRI, but Simmons sounded confident that it’s not a long-term issue, Friedell adds.
- Gary Trent Jr. will miss tonight’s game with a sore right hip, leaving the Raptors without three starters, tweets Josh Lewenburg of TSN Sports. Pascal Siakam is sidelined with an adductor strain, and Fred VanVleet is recovering from a non-COVID illness.
K.D. is going nowhere. He has the place to himself now and is playing a ton more interested as a result.
Remember when yall thought/hoped Embiid was a bust? Shoulda #TrustTheProcess
I think the process was supposed to culminate with titles. I don’t think anyone ever thought Embiid was a bust, just injury prone. But the “process* has left much much to be desired IMO.
Joel “The Process” Embiid has left zero to be desired. He’s top2 in the world as far as basketball players go. And there were definitely many guys (you were probably 1 of them) that loudly & proudly labeled him a bust bc of his injury issues early in his career. The fact that yall forgot about that is the point… The process as it pertains to Sam Hinkie’s rebuilding strategy wasn’t given a chance to succeed or fail. It was over the day he was fired. I don’t even think Simmons & Embiid had even played a game together at that point
Embiid is a playoff choker and he’s still injury prone. This 76ers teams is never winning a title.
Regular season records don’t really matter much. Lol “top 2 in the world”? According to whom?
Everyone is a playoff choker until they win a title… so
Playoff chokers don’t show up with a thumb hanging off and a face shattered Don. So private you are dismissed!
Injuries are always going to be an excuse for Embiid. This 76ers team is yet to even reach the conference finals.
Embiid is the definition of a playoff choker. He’s always injured.
I remember back in the day (i.e. like a week ago) when everyone thought the Sixers played better without Embiid.
I don’t think Philly has anything Brooklyn would desire in a Kevin Durant trade.
We’ll let’s see… the only pieces we can offer for KD are Tobias, Maxey, Thybulle, Springer, G League God BBall Paul, and a half eaten bag of potato chips.
I don’t see the Nets agreeing to a deal that didn’t include Maxey and idk that the Sixers are inclined to give him up even for KD. Because once Harden leaves, they have no guard talent.
Thybulle should have been traded a year ago, Springer was a bad pick. Melton isn’t on a LT deal.
They will have to get it done with this roster. Idk why they haven’t signed Melo using that last open spot. Scoring is a premium in this league. He can score. More consistently that a Niang or Furkan.
If BKN deals KD at this point it would be for a premium package at least equal to the one UTH got for DM. PHI, even with Maxey included, couldn’t come close to that kind of package.
maxey “would likely” have to be included. LOL like they could get a deal done with him, let alone WITHOUT him