Joel Embiid Is Setting His Sights on Something Nobody Expected

Following the Philadelphia 76ers' first win of the season, many people were pleased with the outcome. One 76er felt he could play better, and he is determined to do that in a different way. 

Joel Embiid had a rough night, shooting 4 for 15 from the field, scoring 13 points. The good thing is he showed up on the defensive end, blocking three shots and forcing kickouts and bad shots as he defended the rim as best he could. That’s the part of Embiid’s game that he wants to make the emphasis for his game this season. More specifically, he wants to be an All-Defensive player for the 76ers. 

He may not have a choice considering how that center room looks at the moment, but it’s nice to see he wants to do his part for this team. Everyone knows that this team runs better when Embiid is available, but he has to prove to himself that he can be available for his team. His weight loss has helped with that early on.  Against the Knicks you could see him move up and down the court and give him a jolt of life, as he had 11 rebounds in the game. 

It definitely helps having an All-NBA defender in Jaylen Brown on the team that can help him defend. Yes, Brown is on the perimeter, but what this does is allow Embiid to rely on his assignment and not have to worry about who is penetrating into the paint.  If the defense is at an elite level, this could help Embiid on the offensive side. Embiid could force turnovers while also running down court in an attempt to get a quick basket. 

Another place that Embiid is going to have to improve on is his rebounding. We’re talking about the little things here, boxing out to be specific. There are times when he is too lackadaisical to go to get the board. This leads to offensive rebounding and second chance points, and that’s just something the 76ers can’t allow to happen. 

Embiid also had three steals, and that’s huge for a center. It shows that Embiid has good hands and is very instinctive when it comes to assessing what an opponent is going to do with the ball without fouling. This is the kind of commitment that the 76ers want from the All-Star center. 

If this kind of performance is what Embiid wants to portray, it could be the best thing that happens to this team. He may not have to worry about scoring, and it can help as teams will still gameplan for him. Defense is going to be their biggest emphasis, so it’s only right that Embiid buys in and let head coach Nick Nurse coach him up to be the best he can be.