Jan 4, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) celebrates with guard Tyrese Maxey (0) during the first half against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Joel Embiid dominated, Caleb Martin couldn't miss and the Sixers practically partied on their way to a thorough beatdown of the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday evening.
Here's what I saw.
- You could quite literally see the chemistry in Embiid's brain change once he picked up a technical foul (a ridiculous call, by the way) in the first quarter. He was completely disengaged before Nic Claxton involved himself in a tie-up between Embiid and Keon Johnson. Since the technical wasn't issued until Claxton inserted himself into the play, it implied that it was Embiid's reaction to his counterpart getting involved that elicited the penalty. If so, it should've been off-setting technicals for both him and Claxton since the latter made it his business to get involved. Anyway, that lit a fuse, and Embiid was locked in from then on.
He did his usual work against a smaller, weaker Nets team, getting whatever he wanted on touches at the nail and deep inside. But, one of the more encouraging trends of late is that he's starting to dunk again. Embiid seemingly did not have the pop to dunk early in the season, instead going up for strong layups. But, he's been rolling hard and dunking more over the past few games.
More than that, Embiid was a competitive rebounder. The 17 first-half points were light work. The effort to chase down misses off the glass required something beyond autopilot mode, and you could see genuine focus from him in that regard.
- You could write an insider story on what happened in the time that Caleb Martin was out because he's been an entirely different offensive player since his return. His shot remains, um, non-traditional? But, he's found his range from beyond the arc, and you can see the confidence emanating from it. He's knocking down contested midrange jumpers off the dribble, he's found angles at the rim that he couldn't find before. 17 points on 7-for-7 shooting in the first half. That'll play.
- Embiid ran the floor beautifully on one offensive possession early in the game and Maxey fed him for the effort, but he lost the ball out of bounds for a turnover. Embiid then did not hustle back in transition, allowing Claxton to get an uncontested dunk running down the middle of the floor.
Plain and simple, that is effort. You're the best player, you set the tone. That's one of the aspects of leadership that Embiid has never been consistent about. If you make the high-effort plays, you set the bar for your teammates. If you jog back and give up a dunk, they think that effort is acceptable. At this stage of his career, it's the little things that matter the most.
- I often wonder how much different some of the possessions in which Embiid is slow to pass and gets vacuumed up the double-team would play out if he was more trusting in guys across the floor. Not that he should be making risky passes or passing out of favorable matchups, but react in a timely fashion when you see a helper across the floor beginning to pinch on the paint. Then, I wonder what he would do if his teammates would simply cut around him. Embiid bares some of the blame, to be clear. You have to incentivize cutters by feeding them when they move. If they don't think there's a high likelihood of you making the pass, they're going to stare and watch when you have the ball. But, lord have mercy, someone move.
- Maxey's body language has been really disappointing over the last two games. He's had a rough go of it shooting the ball, no doubt. But, you see the shoulders and head drop when he commits a live-ball turnover. When he doesn't get a call at the rim, he makes sure to plead his case with the nearest official instead of quickly getting back on defense. In fact, there was one possession in the first half in which Maxey got the call for an and-1 from one official and went back to argue with another official about not getting the blocking call earlier in the play. Again, setting the tone with your energy. The team follows your lead.
- Say what you will about a team that is 14-19, but the Sixers appeared to leave the back-to-back losses in California across the country. There were a number of instances in which they showed excitement for each other's successes. Embiid, in particular, seemed to be in good spirits. He was excited for George, celebrating when the wing laced a three off great ball movement. He chest-bumped Guerschon Yabusele and beat his chest after the forward finished a strong dunk in transition.
Maxey, too. He fell to the ground as if he were fainting from excitement when he thought George was going to complete a complex and-1 at the rim. Before the broadcast cut away during a timeout, you could see Maxey pulling George into a hug on the bench. I think "vibe" is one of the worst words in common use today, but the Sixers didn't lose their vibe after the two losses in the middle of the road trip. Maybe it was just the viewers at home who did.
The Sixers (14-19) will host the Phoenix Suns (15-17) on Monday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m., Eastern time. You can catch the game on NBA TV.
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