Dec 8, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic (9) defends against Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
There were signs that the dark cloud of the early season was poised to move on from the Sixers.
Perhaps it was that Philadelphia went right to the two guys at the center of November's widely-publicized team meeting when everything else failed early in Sunday's matinee against the Chicago Bulls. There were no traces of lingering animosity between Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid on the court.
In fact, even with Paul George available, Embiid was very quick to defer to Maxey, consistently looking his way to initiate their prized two-man game.
Perhaps it was that, right after the victory, as Maxey did a postgame interview for viewers at home, Embiid was there, smiling and big-brothering the guard in celebration of his first NBA triple-double.
Everything felt back to normal. The meeting in which Maxey held Embiid accountable for his professional habits felt like it was miles in the rearview mirror.
Maybe the normalcy only lasts until Embiid wakes up on Monday, his left knee exhibiting the effects of playing 33 minutes in his first game since November 20. (As an aside, Nick Nurse told reporters in attendance that Embiid indicated that he felt great as the game wore on). Maybe the skies are clearing for the rest of the Sixers' season.
But, on a Sunday in early December, the Sixers gave you reason to believe that they could rebound from a nightmarish start to their season. That reason donned a large brace on his left knee. That reason looked far better against the Bulls than he did at any point in the first four games he played this season. That reason wears no. 21.
No. 21 had shared the court with Maxey and George for just six minutes all season leading up to Sunday. The trio got through a game without sustaining any setbacks or new injuries. They have a lot to work on together, but there were glimpses of the vision Philadelphia had for its three stars.
But, make no mistake, it took time. There were glaring hints that this partnership is still very new:
Chicago is a great three-man action for this team because there are so many ways it can evolve, especially when you have the talent at the top that Philadelphia does. But, the spacing in this particular one is awkward after George sets the pin-down for Maxey. Once Ayo Dosunmu denies Maxey on the DHO, Embiid looks George's way. One problem: there is no pass to George. The forward doesn't set a hard screen for Maxey or slip the screen and cut hard to the cup. He just stands between Zach LaVine and Coby White. To be clear, it's Embiid's fault for throwing the pass. But, anticipation is built through chemistry. Moments like this bad pass are indicative of how far the trio has to go to learn each other's tendencies so that they can toggle through different options out of one set.
There were also moments in which spacial awareness was lacking, passes missing targets by quite a bit because one member of the action anticipated that a teammate would be elsewhere on the floor:
Lineups featuring the three of Embiid, Maxey and George committed 11 of Philadelphia's 15 total turnovers. The trio logged 26 minutes together on Sunday. Plays like the two above threaten the thesis the Sixers are working with, whether it be by choice or necessity. Philadelphia will not achieve its goal if Embiid's whole season is a cycle of playing a few games and then missing weeks with discomfort and/or swelling in the left knee. As much as Embiid's lack of health is not necessarily anyone's fault, this idea that the team can sneak into the playoff picture with the big guy sitting in bubble wrap for a large chunk of the season is fundamentally flawed. Every game Embiid misses is a squandered opportunity to build chemistry, to avoid the plays above. Each of those miscues will matter in a seven-game series, assuming the Sixers can get their big three on the court enough in the regular season to earn an invitation to the playoffs.
But, if Embiid's left knee refuses to cooperate, they may not have much of a choice anyway.
Still, Sunday saw moments that inspired hope that the worst is behind Embiid and the Sixers:
When the offense became clunky, Nick Nurse, Maxey, and company went right to their bread-and-butter: empty corner two-man game on the left side of the floor. It started a dominant run from Embiid that put the Sixers in control for the rest of the day.
He looked like the Embiid of old, pivoting on the left knee into face-up jumpers and applying force inside with physicality.
After a few possessions of watching, George got in on the action, feeding Embiid an entry pass at the same spot for a masterful jumper over Nikola Vucevic.
After an 0-for-7 start to the game, Embiid was rolling - figuratively and literally. The big guy exhibited encouraging mobility, bursting and planting strong with his left knee to finish when the seas parted on a drag screen for Maxey.
The signs of health extended beyond mobility. Embiid exerted strength, jockeying for position in the post and using his lower body to seal off his counterpart and open a wider passing target in the paint.
The Sixers scored 39 points in the second quarter. Embiid scored 19. The Bulls scored 17. A 10-point deficit at the end of the first quarter was a 12-point lead at halftime.
Embiid's rhythm didn't escape him at halftime. He peppered in a handful of midrange jumpers in the third quarter, including one through a foul after baiting Vucevic to reach in on a pump fake.
Embiid's trust in his body, his confidence in his knee and his endurance to finish the game strong was equal parts impressive and encouraging for someone who hadn't played a real game in more than two weeks. Down the stretch of the fourth quarter, he had no problem blowing by at the left elbow, planting hard with the left knee on his way to the rim for a layup.
Embiid capped a superb return the same way he began his heater in the second quarter: a midrange jumper, this one courtesy of George, who flipped the ball to the big man at the left elbow to beat Chicago shading against the threat of the two-man game.
After the game, Nurse remarked that his team would have Monday off before a grueling week of practice leading into Friday's home game against the Indiana Pacers. There's a world of work to be done, including finding the proper offensive balance when Embiid, Maxey and George are all on the floor together. It's only natural that someone would play passenger this early in the partnership. It was George who took a back seat on Sunday, Embiid and Maxey going gangbusters to carry the offense.
Still, there were moments of brilliance involving the three of them. Nurse views offense through the lens of creating advantages. There were examples of that to build on in the victory:
It's only the Chicago Bulls, who consistently shoot for the Play-In tournament and the back end of the Eastern Conference playoff picture. But, Philadelphia will take anything it can get to climb up the standings.
Sunday offered hope that the best is yet to come.
