By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)
Detroit 97, Philadelphia 76 – Box Score
Before Saturday night’s game, the Sixers made the surprising announcement that Joel Embiid could be available for back-to-back games this season, a bridge fans did not think the team would cross until at least 2017. Not only is this great news for Embiid’s burgeoning Rookie of the Year campaign, but based on recent returns, Sixers fans are going to need all the Embiid they can get.
Now 1-5 in the preseason, Philadelphia has been especially dismal on the offensive end the last two games. Against the Pistons, the team shot just 36.8% from the field and 3-20 from three. Basically, the team’s only effective strategy on offense has consisted of letting Embiid establish deep post position and let him go to work.
Which in itself largely works out pretty well, as Embiid played a career-high 20 minutes, tallying 15 points on 5-8 shooting and 5-7 from the foul line, in addition to 5 rebounds. The one flaw in his night was his 7 turnovers, as Embiid was more than occasionally overeager to force the action. I think it’s fair to assume this is a product of this being just his 6th game back after being forced to sit out 2 years due to injury.
Ultimately though, the highs are greatly exceeding the lows. After an Andre Drummond hard foul, Embiid got fired up, and on the very next play, punctuated an and-one against Boban Manjanovic by roaring and flexing for the crowd.
Man on a mission @JoelEmbiid pic.twitter.com/8LTELIaiKq
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) October 16, 2016
As for the other 2014 lottery pick, Dario Saric finished with 8 points on 3-7 shooting and 5 rebounds. Saric did a nice job looking for Embiid on post entry passes, but if I had one quibble, it would be that he can occasionally be lazy on passes along the perimeter (3 turnovers). Like Embiid’s turnover issues, I’m willing to give Saric the benefit of the doubt for now, realizing he’s still adjusting to the speed of the NBA game.
Among the guards, Brett Brown shook things up by giving Sergio Rodriguez the start ahead of TJ McConnell. Rodriguez did a decent job distributing, recording 7 assists against 3 turnovers, while TJ finished with just 1 assist off the bench. El Chacho displayed his creative flourishes with some of his passes, but I think more than anything, Brown likes pairing him with Embiid because Joel can cover up for Rodriguez on the defensive end. Not only is Embiid an imposing deterrent at the rim, but he showed on a couple more occasions against Detroit an ability to switch onto perimeter players and hold his own. There was one possession where Tobias Harris tried to drive at Embiid twice, but JoJo perfectly slid his feet and stonewalled him from getting into the lane.
As to those players with less secure spots on the roster, hough his lottery pick pedigree may keep him safe for one more year, Nik Stauskas is doing nothing right now to show he’ll be an impactful player at the NBA level. Sauce went 0-5 from the field against Detroit, missing two threes along with three lay-ups. A couple of those shots at the rim were wild flailing attempts on drives, as Stauskas just looks more lost by the day out on the court. I would have no issue if the team opted to go with a more unknown quantity like Brandon Paul or Cat Barber.
The Sixers have one final game on the preseason schedule, next Friday night in Miami. We are just 10 days away from Russell Westbrook, the Thunder, and opening night. I think fans are ready, but it remains to be seen whether this Sixers squad will be.
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