Post Game Grades: Sixers vs. Hawks

A. Joel Embiid has shown through two games that he was well worth the wait. To start the game against the Hawks, Embiid got an open shot beyond the 3-point arc and sunk it with confidence. He showed little to no jitters going up against eight-time All-Star Dwight Howard, and was a huge reason Howard was limited to just two points by the end of the game. Embiid can do things all over the floor. Hit 3-pointers? He’s your man. Drive to the rim with ball control? Of course! How about play lock-down defense and fill out do be a solid rim-protector? Yeah, of course. Look, we’re just two games into Embiid’s rookie season, so there’s a lot of time for teams to figure out how to combat the unique style he comes with, but for now, he’s living up to expectations, and he’s making the Sixers fun. Embiid closed the game with 14 points and made 5 of his 9 shots. There’s not much to complain abpout here.. C. Philadelphia 76ers. JOEL EMBIID

PG. Philadelphia 76ers. SERGIO RODRIGUEZ. A. Sergio Rodriguez is proving to be everything Sixers fans hoped he would be and more. While he still probably won’t be the franchise point guard of the future, there’s no denying that he’s performing at a very high level now. It seems that whenever the offense is struggling, Sergio is the only one who really is on track, and can get things going on his own. The performances he’s put up in the first two games have exceeded expectations, especially after being away from the NBA for several years. On Saturday, Rodriguez put up 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists.

C. Jahlil Okafor is still coming off if his knee injury, but that isn’t a huge excuse for the performances he’s been putting up. Being on a minutes restriction is never easy to play with, and Okafor was limited to just 15 minutes Saturday afternoon. When he was out, he showed effort on defense, but it didn’t translate to good defense whatsoever. He had four rebounds and zero blocks, and scored just 8 points on 2-for-7 shooting. The only thing we can look at from his box score and smile at is the fact that Okafor made both of his attempted free-throws. Additionally, he continued to show he can escape double-teams very well.. C/PF. Philadelphia 76ers. JAHLIL OKAFOR

DARIO SARIC. C-. Dario Saric has had a pretty typical rookie start. He’s seemed to come over an early hump in his career, failing to fit into the NBA and do well like he did in the pros in the Turkish league. In 26 minutes, Saric scored 5 points and pulled in 4 rebounds, and also dished out 2 assists. He made just 2 of his 9 attempted shots, and sunk one 3-pointer which came early on in the game. Saric’s two best selling-points coming in were his passing and his shooting range, and he hasn’t really shown those off in the first two games.. F. Philadelphia 76ers

Robert Covington had an okay game, but certainly not a game you would expect from an NBA starter. And until some Sixers return from injury, that’s what Covington is for the Sixers. While we shouldn’t expect a to from Covington based on last season, I would still like to see him fill out to be a nice 3-and-D player. He hasn’t shown that he can consistently hit the 3-point shot, and his defense is average at best. Covington missed all five of his attempted shots on Saturday, which were all 3-pointers. While his form looked decent, nothing fell for Covington. The only thing that saved him from a complete failing grade was his 3 steals.. SF. Philadelphia 76ers. ROBERT COVINGTON. D

F. Gerald Henderson was brought on largely as a veteran presence, and with Elton Brand leaving the team, he is one of the leading veteran voices. But an 0-5, zero point, 1 rebound, 1 assist performance in 18 minutes is simply not acceptable. I mean, what was Henderson really doing out there besides just being a warm body? I’m hoping to see him up his productivity as a team member in the coming weeks.. SG. Philadelphia 76ers. GERALD HENDERSON