Joel Embiid is still helping the 76ers win, but the way he’s doing it needs to change if Philadelphia wants the best version of its star.
Embiid built his reputation by owning the paint. At his peak, the 2023 MVP was an immovable force inside, backing defenders down, getting to his spots, and wearing teams out possession by possession. But the injuries that have piled up over time seem to have altered the way he trusts his body, and that’s showing up in a frustrating pattern: too many deep shots, not enough pressure on the interior.
That hasn’t stopped Embiid from producing. On a roster loaded with scorers, he’s still putting up numbers that fit a team with championship ambitions, and the 76ers have already made a loud statement by racing out to a 6-1 start. Embiid has been central to that early success.
Through six games, he’s averaging 19.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game. That passing bump has mattered for Philadelphia, and even if he’s no longer looking like the MVP candidate he once was, he still draws enough defensive attention to create clean looks for teammates.
Still, there’s a clear issue inside Xfinity Mobile Arena: Embiid can give the 76ers more than this. He needs to trust his body and stop leaning on shots that aren’t really his bread and butter.
Yes, he can shoot threes. That’s not the point.
Tyrese Maxey, LeBron James, Jaylen Brown, and even VJ Edgecombe are part of a group of stars who can punish defenses from long range, and Embiid has improved from deep over the years. But that doesn’t make it his best weapon.
Philadelphia’s 93-98 win over the New York Knicks was a perfect example of the problem. Embiid took four 3-pointers in that game and missed all of them.
Zoom out a little further, and the trend looks even worse: over his last three appearances, including that Knicks game, he has missed all 10 of his 3-point attempts. For the season, he’s taking a career-high 4.2 threes per game, but he’s hitting just 14.3% of them.
The 76ers don’t need Embiid to be a floor-spacing specialist right now. They have plenty of efficient shooters around him.
What they need is the version of Embiid who gets to his spots in the paint and forces defenses to collapse. And when he settles in the mid-range, that’s where he’s still dangerous.
That’s the shot Philadelphia fans should be expecting to see more often.
In Other News...
76ers Suddenly Have A Center Question Fans Will Want Answered
Jabari Walkers return gave the 76ers a useful jolt against the Hornets, as he worked his way back from a knee issue and logged 19 minutes while finishing with 12 points and six rebounds. With Joel Embiid out, Adem Bona got the start at center and Philadelphia pieced together its frontcourt rotation around the absences, a setup that made every available big man matter a little more than usual.
One name still stood out for what did not happen: Tacko Fall was cleared to play, but he never got into the game. In a matchup where the Sixers were already sorting through center options on the fly, that left a lingering question about how the team plans to use its depth at the position moving forward, especially if the injury situation keeps forcing the rotation to shift. [Read more 🡒]
Sixers Are Leading The East With One Scary Flaw Still Lingering
Through seven games, the 76ers have done just about everything right on the way to a 6-1 start and the top spot in the Eastern Conference. The defense has carried a lot of the load, ranking fourth in the league, and it has been enough to keep Philadelphia in position to win tight games, including ones sealed by late 3-pointers from VJ Edgecombe.
The concern sits on the other end of the floor, where the Sixers have been one of the leagues least reliable teams on wide-open looks from deep, hitting just 29.9 percent of those shots. Several key players are still below league average from beyond the arc, which makes the early record look even more impressive and also leaves a clear question hanging over how sustainable this start really is if the offense does not begin to normalize. [Read more 🡒]
Dean Wade Is Helping The Sixers But One Issue Still Looms
Dean Wade has given the 76ers useful minutes early in the season, especially on the defensive end and as a connective passer. For a team still sorting out its rotation, that kind of steady, low-maintenance play matters, particularly when he is on the floor enough to influence how the group functions on both ends.
The lingering concern is on the offensive side, where Wade has been far more selective than the Sixers would like. Philadelphia pushed him in training camp to be more willing as a shooter, but he has remained hesitant, and if that trend continues it could leave some of his value on the table and quietly cap what the team can get from him offensively. [Read more 🡒]