76ers’ Joel Embiid Embraces Extra Attention From Nets’ Defenders
Drawing several defenders when gaining possession of the ball is nothing new for Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid. As one of the NBA’s most dominant scorers, Embiid is used to seeing double teams and expected the Brooklyn Nets to dial up a heavy dose of them in Game 1 on Saturday.
In past postseasons, Embiid might not have handled the pressure as well, but he continues to raise his value as a passer. And with Embiid trusting the guys that surround him on the court, he found ways to be productive beyond the scoring department on Saturday.
“Just keeping it simple,” Embiid said after the game. “Every single possession, they just kept doubling. It didn't matter where I was, half-court, three-point line, post, I just gotta trust my team. Got to make the simple plays, and, you know, we took advantage of the scheme.”
In Game 1, Embiid checked in for 33 minutes. Putting up 15 shots from the field, the big man knocked down seven of his shots successfully, scoring 26 points. He also had three assists on the offensive end.
“They just doubled. They were running all over the place,” Embiid continued. “Our gameplan was to, especially for me, just invite the double team and make plays for my teammates. Same thing for James [Harden]. Anytime there was double, and anytime there was dribble penetration, he made the right play every time.”
To no surprise, Embiid and Harden were the Sixers’ most productive players on the floor in Game 1 against the Nets. Whenever Embiid garnered so much attention from the Nets, Harden either got going on his own or dished the ball off to somebody else. Harden finished the game with 23 points and 13 assists.
Embiid and the Sixers closed out Game 1 with a dominant 121-101 win over the Nets. While the Sixers anticipate the Nets making key adjustments in their gameplan — one thing is for sure — Embiid will continue garnering a lot of attention from Brooklyn’s defense, which is something he seems to embrace at this point in his career.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
