2020 NBA playoffs: This could be Joel Embiid’s moment – but will he seize it?
It happened against the Hawks and Nets back in February. It happened as recently as a couple weeks ago against the Pacers. It even happened against the Celtics, the Sixers’ first-round opponent, way back in December.
We’ve seen the best of Joel Embiid on several occasions this season. When he’s healthy and focused, there aren’t many players more dominant in the NBA.
But there’s a big question that looms every time he steps on the court: Which version of Joel Embiid will we see tonight?
With no Ben Simmons and the Sixers an underdog against Boston, this is Embiid’s moment. This is his time to prove all the critics wrong. He has a chance to put the hopes of a franchise and city on his back and lead them to an upset over a hated rival.
The first opportunity comes Monday night in Game 1. Daniel Theis, Enes Kanter and Robert Williams really don’t stand a chance going 1-on-1 with Embiid. Expect head coach Brad Stevens to throw double teams at Embiid from the jump. How he handles that will go a long in way in determining if the Sixers stand a chance in this series.
The NBA’s Disney World “bubble” has given us the full Embiid experience. Early on, he was outstanding, expertly navigating double teams and living at the free throw line. Then, he hurt his left ankle. Then, his right hand. Both injuries got us back to our familiar pregame “will he or won’t he play” routine. He struggled with double teams against the Raptors and Rockets.
With Embiid, it seems to always come down to health and focus. Both have eluded him on a consistent basis this season. He tore a ligament in his left ring finger that caused him to miss nine games and hindered his effectiveness when he returned. A right shoulder sprain caused him to miss five games just before the season was suspended.
Now, it’s the ankle and the hand. Will he be healthy enough to handle the rigors of an NBA playoff game? If the injuries are of the nagging variety, can he push through and overcome them?
Embiid has admitted that his focus hasn’t always been where it needed to be this season. He struggled to find the balance between having fun and being mature. He didn’t take it well when Jimmy Butler and JJ Redick, two players that he became close with that played a big part in last year’s postseason run, weren’t retained. He let that frustration seep into his play and it showed.
Embiid did say that he’s in a better place mentally.
“It was a big change, but you adjust,” Embiid said on Redick’s podcast, The Old Man & The Three. “Every year is going to be different, and this year was different. But I still believe. We’ve got a big chance to make it happen. We can win the whole thing.”
They do have a chance in this series, but Embiid needs to be otherworldly. It’s something he is capable of.
Former Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green, who has an interesting past with Embiid, might have put it best as a guest analyst on TNT a couple weeks ago.
“There’s no one in the NBA that can stop Joel from getting the position he wants,” Is Draymond speaking facts on Joel Embiid? https://t.co/XI6gmcIR0d
Will Embiid impose his will or will he let the Celtics or outside factors dictate what he does?
This could be his moment, but he has to seize it.
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