After a grim start to the season, Embiid returned to play in just his 5th game against this Bulls this week. He’s looked lackluster in the first four games, but he looked like his true self this week.
Is Embiid’s Energy Back?
Embiid played so phenomenally well last year. After such a dominant year – and the supposed knee repair surgery – we figured Embiid would pick up where he left off. He would enter the season healthy and jive with George and Maxey to play as good and maybe even better than he did last year. Unfortunately, Embiid’s health and conditioning have prevented him from playing up to the expectations that everyone (and probably himself) had. Finally, Embiid looked spry again.
Not only did he earn a double-double with 31 points and 12 rebounds, he looked healthy and agile for the first time since he got injured last season. After a tough and-one in the third quarter, Embiid jumped up energetically while kicking his legs out in front of him. I can’t remember the last time Embiid showed enthusiasm like that in a game.
https://x.com/NBA/status/1865840054838448472
Maxey’s Game Elevated
Embiid scoring 30 felt great for all fans watching, but Maxey also had a career night. After four years in the NBA, Maxey never notched a triple-double. He has improved every year since entering the league and it looks like he will continue that trend.
Even without Embiid, Maxey stayed at around the same level as last year. It doesn’t seem like much, but that’s an impressive feat considering George and Embiid would take a ton of attention off of him. Now, in just their second game all together, Maxey looked phenomenal. With more consistency, Maxey may continue that upward trajectory that he has defined his career with.
Even though Maxey couldn’t elevate the team to get wins without Embiid, nobody should blame him for that. He’s still a good player. With George and Embiid missing so much time, Maxey essentially had to bring a team with less than half of the normal salary cap up to par with the rest of the Eastern Conference. Quite a task for such a young player.
More Consistency, Please
Unfortunately, the Sixers still have not disclosed the nature of the injury to the media or the fans. That being said, we should all expect Embiid to play in each game until they tell us otherwise. With the Mid-Season Tournament Bracket underway, the Sixers have a rare 4-day break in between games – more than enough time for Embiid to recover from last game. Hopefully Embiid can use this time to continue to rehab and get healthy.
Even in just their second game together, Maxey, George, and Embiid looked incredible together. Yes, it was only against the Bulls, but they looked really good. Imagine what they can do with 15 games under their belts together. Watch out everybody, the Sixers are climbing in the East and they won’t be stopping anytime soon.
Image from Getty Images/Timothy
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