Philadelphia 76ers are a different beast with Joel Embiid back

The Philadelphia 76ers finally brought their star center back. It certainly paid off in Game 3.

In their brief stint without Joel Embiid to end the season, the Philadelphia 76ers were a good team. They won eight straight without him, then proceeded to win their first playoff game as the big fella watched from the sidelines and clowned trampoline dunkers.

Still, Game 2 gave the Sixers — and fans — a taste of reality. Despite the extended win streak, the Sixers were still a flawed team whenever Embiid was off the floor. Their defense dropped off and the halfcourt offense struggled at times. They needed Embiid back.

And, now that he’s back, we’ve been thoroughly reminded of Embiid’s unique talent. Even when playing through the discomfort of a mask (with goggles attached), JoJo made defensive play after defensive play in his Game 3 return.

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He got things going offensively as well, using a big fourth quarter to lead the Sixers to victory on the road. In his first game back after almost a month of missed action, Embiid led the team in scoring with 23 points.

The Sixers entered the postseason looking like a competitive team. If they make it past Miami in round one — which they should — they’ll likely face an injury-plagued Celtics team in round two. Boston isn’t somebody who will just roll over, but the Sixers would presumably have the advantage assuming full health.

There’s no guarantee that the Sixers make the conference finals, but there seems to be a real chance that they do. They’re the favorites according to most pundits, and their probable competition on the other side of the bracket (Hello, LeBron) hasn’t looked too great.

Toronto might shock some folks and push past Cleveland in round two — the Cavs have to beat Indiana first, of course — but regardless of that outcome, there’s a very real chance that the Sixers make it to the third round with a legitimate chance at winning.

That simply wouldn’t be the case without Embiid.

His defensive presence is exceeded by very few, while a large chunk of Brett Brown’s offense — especially in the halfcourt setting — runs through JoJo.

Kevin McHale and the TNT broadcast were talking about Brett Brown and how the coach noted that Embiid makes the Sixers a “complete” team. That’s probably the best summarization of his impact.

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Without Embiid, the Sixers could run-and-gun their way to wins behind the brilliance of Ben Simmons and the red-hot shooting of Marco Belinelli and J.J. Redick. Amir Johnson even filled in nicely on the defensive end.

But the Sixers’ defense was still a tier below where it stands with Embiid on the floor. They also sturggled to get things going when shots weren’t falling, as we saw in Game 2.

With two (three?) point guards who can’t really shoot, halfcourt offense can be a doozy when you don’t have another viable creator on that side of the ball. That’s what JoJo, whether it be as a screener on the perimeter or as a post-up threat, gives them. Somebody to run the offense through.

Should the Sixers be favorites in the East? I’m hesitant to go that far. I still think Boston, without Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, will put up a strong fight on their home court. There is a chance, though, that we see this Sixers team making some serious noise late in the playoffs.

Next: What could have been with the Pre-Process Sixers?

They have to get by Miami first and health is obviously a must, but things seem to be trending in the right direction for Philly right now.

With Joel Embiid back, the Sixers are a different animal

By Christopher Kline | Apr 20, 2018

The Philadelphia 76ers finally brought their star center back. It certainly paid off in Game 3.