Joel Embiid’s mobility issues over the past week or so have been a dark cloud hanging over the Sixers’ hot start, but they didn’t seem to affect him in Thursday’s win over Toronto, writes Tony Jones of The Athletic. Embiid finished with 20 points and four rebounds in 28 minutes and even threw down a couple of dunks — a rarity for him so far this season.
“When he’s driving the basketball, he’s feeling pretty good,” coach Nick Nurse said. “He came over and blocked a shot. He then started to get to the rim just enough. He protected the rim just enough to deter a few shots. I thought he did a lot of good stuff. But I think the best thing I saw was that he was just moving a lot better tonight.”
Embiid’s health, specifically how many games he can be expected to play given his injury history, is the largest question for a team loaded with talent after adding LeBron James and Jaylen Brown this summer. Center is the only position where Philadelphia isn’t stocked with quality depth, and the situation got worse with Ariel Hukporti’s torn Achilles, along with injury issues for Adem Bona and Dominick Barlow. Jones states that Embiid has been lobbying to play, even though he’s dealing with plantar fasciitis that has contributed to his decreased mobility.
“I put a lot of it on myself,” he said. “Quite frankly, I just haven’t been aggressive enough. So, I think it’s on me to just be aggressive about making plays, and that’s whether it’s scoring or making plays for someone else.”
There’s more from Philadelphia:
- Jabari Walkera power forward throughout his career, has stepped in to help solve the team’s scarcity in the middle, Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer states in a subscriber-only story. Walker talked about the strategy he uses while trying to box out bigger opponents. “It’s a big task,” he said. “You got to be earlier with your physicality.”
- Brown would like to see the team give more playing time to 7’6″ Thank you Fallwho has only appeared in two games after missing the early part of the season with a left quadriceps strain, per Kris Rhim of ESPN (Twitter link). “We need some more tall people,” Brown said. “It’d be great to see Tacko get an opportunity.”
- VJ Edgecombewho ranks second in the league in dunks, may participate in the Slam Dunk Contest at All-Star Weekend (Twitter video link from PHLY Sixers). “That’s something I’m thinking about for sure,” he said after Thursday’s game.