The 76ers Need To Be Better When Joel Embiid Goes To The Bench

There has been a consistent trend when the Sixers get to the playoffs over the past several seasons. I am not talking about Joel Embiid getting injured, though that's also a thing. The problem is more so what they do when Embiid comes off the court.

Go back to the Raptors series in 2019. So much was made about his illness, and his struggles on offense. But despite him struggling from the floor, they were still a staggering +90 in those 7- games. They won the Embiid minutes in 6 of those 7 games, including being +10 with him out there in the decisive game 7.

It was the same story two years later against the Hawks, and the same story a year after that vs the Heat. And once again tonight, the Embiid-less minutes killed them. They were -21 with Embiid off the floor and +14 with him out there.

You can't even pin that all on Paul Reed. Was he perfect? No. But he grabbed 5 rebounds in those 11 minutes and scored 4 points. The problem was the entire team came to a screeching halt every time Embiid took a rest. They barely eclipsed 10 points as a team in those minutes, and the Knicks took advantage on the offensive side of the ball without him.

Their bench scored just 7 points. The Knicks bench scored 42. Batum went cold from 3 after his great night vs the Heat, and Buddy Hield gave them nearly nothing. 0 pts, 1 asts, and a foul in 11 minutes.

Embiid scored 29 tonight despite an injury scare. Maxey went off in the 2nd half and scored 33. The stars did their part, despite the loss. The issue was the rest of the team, apart from Lowry who scored 18, and Oubre who had 10 points and 5 steals.

Embiid gets Heat for the Sixers falling short in the playoffs every year. He deserves a lot of it. But if in these series, they got even mediocrity out of the minutes when he was on the bench, they may have made it out of a 2nd round by now. They might have even won something.

If they don't find a way to tread water when Embiid goes off, it will be another pre-mature playoff exit for them. More than any other issue, it is the thing that has most held them back over the years.

The series is set. It will be Sixers vs Knicks in round 1. They survived the Play-In Tournament and beat the Heat.

Survive is the keyword there. Their game vs the Heat was in a word, ugly. Joel Embiid struggled to get going until the 4th quarter. Tyrese Maxey struggled for chunks of the game. And the Heats' Zone D suffocated them. The Sixers turned it over 16 times and had only 39 points at halftime.

But a big game from Nico Batum got them back in it after an early deficit. 20 points, including 6 for 10 from deep. That push from him erased the Heats' lead in the 3rd quarter, and the Sixers just held on in a close game from there.

It gets no easier for the Sixers now that they are actually in the playoffs though. Because up next, is a 7-game series against the 2-seed Knicks.

Jalen Brunson has turned into a superstar for them. They added OG Anunoby and Donte DiVincenzo to that starting group as well. But they are without Julius Randle.

We hoped Embiid was going into the playoffs healthy. But we saw a sluggish Embiid in the Heat game. He still managed 23 points and 15 rebounds, but it was not the Embiid we are used to. It wasn't even the Embiid we got in the 5 games since he got back.

Can the Sixers take down the Knicks to advance to the 2nd round? Will Embiid's domination of the Knicks continue? Should we be concerned about how good this Knicks team is when OG Anunoby is on the court?

The series tips off on Saturday Night at Madison Square Garden. But before game 1 begins, let's take a closer look at this series, and the history between these two teams.

The 2nd round has been a major issue for the Sixers. The 1st round? Not so much. In the Embiid era, they are 2o-9 in the 1st round. Take away the bubble year, where they had no Ben Simmons and the team was a complete disaster, they are 20-5. Even counting that season, that is a record of .689. 

Obviously, it is a different situation this year. They are the lower seed, and they will have to win on the road. But their record in the 1st round is on their side here.

Speaking of good records, Embiid's against the Knicks is sparkling. He has played them 19 times and only lost 3 of those. A record of 16-3.

To be fair, the Knicks were a mediocre team for most of that period. Since Brunson joined the team, Embiid is 2-2 against the Knicks. And the most recent game was a blowout loss where no one besides Embiid and Maxey scored double-digit points.

In those last 4 games, Embiid scored 32.8 per game. So we can safely expect big numbers from again.

It is not just the players competing though, it is also the coaches. And Tom Thibodeau does not have the best history in the playoffs. In his career, he is 31-44 in the playoffs. Compare that to Nick Nurse, who is 25-16, with a Championship.

Nick Nurse has established his style can work in the playoffs. But it has always been a stumbling block for Thibodeau. He has had a ton of regular-season success in his career. And he deserves credit for turning the Knicks into one of the most competitive teams in the league. But the playoff ghost hangs over his head, and will until he leads his team to success in the playoffs.

om Thibodeau

Sixers fans all know how great of a record the Sixers have when Embiid plays. But the Knicks also dealt with injuries. OG Anunoby was traded to the Knicks mid-season, and missed time with an injury. But when he plays, they are 20-3. 

The combo of him and Brunson make the Knicks an elite team. Since OG returned from injury in Mid-March, they are 8-1. So while we talk about the Sixers going into the playoffs hot thanks to getting Embiid back, the Knicks are in the same boat thanks to getting OG back.

Embiid was not good in the Play-In game. Yes he scored 23, but that was through sheer force of will, not good play. He shot 6 of 17 from the field, good for a shooting percentage of just 35.3%

If they are going to win, they need Embiid at his best. As much as I love Batum, he won't give you 20 points every night. The path to winning any series is getting 30 points per night from the big guy. You have to hope it was just an off night and not the sign of a larger problem.

To his credit, he showed up more in quarter 4, with a couple of 3s, and 11 total points. They still need more going forward.