Joel Embiid playing for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2023. Photo by Tim Nwachukwu via Getty Images
Going into the NBA playoffs, it was known that Joel Embiid would be the X factor for the Philadelphia 76ers if they wished to make a deep playoff run. He’s on the court, but is clearly not playing at maximum ability, and his efforts were not helped by an injury scare during Game 1 against the New York Knicks.
The Sixers were led by Tyrese Maxey in the game, who put up 33 points, but Embiid’s 29 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists were nothing to sneeze at. The numbers are a bit off from his full potential, however, when he is deadly in the paint and can easily put up 40 points per game or more.
The fact that Embiid is still not at full potential following his knee injury is concerning for Philly, to say the least.
“They kicked our butts on the glass,” Kyle Lowry said of the Knicks. “They did their job, they executed their game plan and what they’ve been doing all season. They’re the number one offensive rebounding team in the league and they did their job tonight.”
Setting The Tone
Embiid and the Sixers set the tone for the game, going up early before he would attempt a dunk late in the second quarter and land hard on the knee that he injured months prior. He went down in pain, appearing to reaggravate the knee, and subsequently left the locker room in what was an injury scare.
Luckily for Sixers nation, Embiid would return to the game in the third quarter, and finish with good stats, as mentioned. When he was on the court, he hurt the Knicks from both the interior & perimeter.
New York often double-teamed Embiid with defenders Mitchell Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein, both matching Embiid’s height of 7 feet. When that happened, he gave the ball up on multiple occasions.
Embiid Crucial For Sixers
The injury to Embiid occurred after he attempted a dunk. Interestingly, that was the first time that Embiid had attempted a dunk at all since returning from the injury, so perhaps it will be a facet of the game he will stay away from. After the game, 76ers coach Nick Nurse insisted that Embiid was fine.
“He got assessed at halftime and was ready to go,” Nurse said. “Just like after every game, we’ll assess him and see how he’s doing…I just think that was the play that happened. He pumped faked up and the guy jumped over him and he had an angle. I just think that was the play that unfolded.”
Whether or not Embiid is fine will be critical for the 76ers. He is their main man, and the team cannot duplicate neither the offense he provides nor the danger he poses in the paint. The team has a significantly higher offensive output when Embiid is on the court than off (his plus-minus was 14 in this game alone) and therefore he is crucial to their operations.
If he is out for one or two games in this series, it could mean the end of the Sixers’ playoff run. That is how important Embiid is to the team. The Sixers will have another chance to prove themselves in Game 2, which will be on Monday, and all eyes will be on Embiid and his knee.
