Currently seated at first place in the Eastern Conference with a 5-1 win-loss card, the Philadelphia 76ers have gotten off to a rousing start in the 2025-26 season. Even at this early stage of the campaign, a lot of fans and pundits alike have noticed the much improved play from the team as a collective — a stark contrast to the kind of year they had last season.
Spearheading Philly’s upstart play to kick off the season is the superb play of their electric backcourt. Tyrese Maxey, already an All-Star guard, appears to be making yet another leap in his young career. VJ Edgecombe has clearly looked like the best rookie in his draft class — and it is not even close. Quentin Grimes, who had a pretty long standstill with the front office during the offseason, has played so well he is now arguably the frontrunner for Sixth Man of the Year early on.
The 76ers currently have the second-best offensive rating in the league, which has been sufficient to thwart their 19th-ranked defense thus far. This team is already making having a high-octane offense its identity. However, you might be surprised to hear that they are not particularly playing at a breakneck pace, ranking only 20th in that department.
Sooner than later, the 76ers will want to play faster, although that could prove detrimental to someone like, say, Joel Embiid.
Joel Embiid may not be able to keep up if the 76ers want to play faster
Right now, the 76ers’ pace actually makes sense. It is a controlled one and makes for the best balance to facilitate their guard-heavy attack and the individual brilliance of their stars which include Embiid, who has been terrific so far despite his minutes restriction.
However, once Edgecombe develops and Jared McCain returns, the 76ers could be even more lethal if they push the pace a lot more. Tha caveat, of course, is that it will force Embiid to go up and down the court more often — a possible scenario not to be taken lightly when talking about the former Most Valuable Player, who is injury-prone and already on the wrong side of 30.
That makes it all the more crucial that Embiid reconfigures his game to allow for more playmaking on his part. His scoring ability will alwys be there — that has been pretty apparent. But he will need to take another step back on the scoring end to maximize his efficiency and prolong his longevity while ensuring that the best is making the most out of its ammunition.
Still, the risks of playing faster for Embiid is something the 76ers will have to take into consideration moving forward. Thankfully, the coaching staff is doing much better this time around when it comes to managing Joel Embiid’s load this season while not ridding themselves of the chance to win on a nightly basis.