The Philadelphia 76ers now find themselves in a major hole once again as they face a 0-2 deficit in their Eastern Conference Semifinals bout with the New York Knicks. Thus, as the series shifts to Philly, the hosts now feel tremendous pressure to protect home court, lest they run the risk of another disappointing exit in the playoffs. The tough part is trying to win a game and eventually knotting the series up with Joel Embiid being far from peak capacity.
Embiid was sidelined for Game 2, but there should be a good shot that he plays in Game 3. But even if he does suit up, the 76ers will have to double down on finding a solution for an otherwise unfixable issue involving the superstar, which is staying effective on the defensive end when the Knicks force him to latch onto players out on the perimeter.
Against more traditional teams running conventional big men, Embiid remains an effective deterrent at the rim. While he is no longer a DPOY-caliber anchor, he can still make life tougher for opposing big men who focus on scoring inside. However, the same cannot be said when he gets switched away from the paint. Heck, one can argue that he has become a liability in that regard.
The 76ers face a serious Joel Embiid problem that has no clear fix available
During Game 1, the Knicks made a concerted effort to get Embiid to defend their guards in pick-and-roll situations. Jalen Brunson was pretty effective against him in particular, and as a collective, New York was registered a staggering 160 points per 100 possessions during Embiid's 25 minutes on the hardwood.
As such, if the former Most Valuable Player gets the green light to play in Game 3, the 76ers can expect Mike Brown and the Knicks brain trust to scheme against Embiid on the defensive end by having him play roamer against their perimeter players. Five-out lineups are also the favored configuration by New York with Mitchell Robinson currently injured, so that will also pose a challenge to Philly.
At this point in his career, the 76ers cannot really rely on Embiid to be a standout defender when he is forced away from the basket. He can only tenably function as a stationary deterrent, and with his mobility being limited, he can only do so much against perimeter-oriented opponents like the Knicks.
Hopefully, Nick Nurse and the gang can figure out a way to hide Joel Embiid on defense and prevent the Knicks from easily game-planning to get him away from the paint. But of course, that is way easier said than done, although it does not change the fact that it could essentially determine if they still have a chance at another grand series comeback.
Add us as a preferred source on Google