Sixers' Joel Embiid Credits Spacing for his Fourth Quarter Dominance
Many might consider "accountability" to be a keyword from the Philadelphia 76ers' 2019-2020 NBA season, but "spacing" is definitely a close second.
As the Sixers lacked deep shooting threats throughout the season last year, teams often gambled on double-teaming Joel Embiid down the stretch, making it hard for the superstar center to close out games.
This year, the Sixers' front office added more shooters to avoid having the same issues in 2020-2021. And so far, Embiid has noticed a significant difference in spacing -- especially in the fourth quarter through one game.
"It was great [to have shooters surrounding me]," Embiid said following Wednesday night's season-opener against the Washington Wizards. "That third quarter felt like the spacing just wasn't there. Then when I went with the guys coming off the bench, they had a great game."
Heading into the fourth quarter of Wednesday's game, Embiid had just 14 points while the Sixers trailed by ten points. Knowing he needed to take over and help lead a possible comeback, Embiid played all but 35 seconds in the final quarter.
The three-time All-Star dominated in the fourth quarter as he scored 15 of the Sixers' 40 points, totaling for a team-high of 29 points. While Embiid deserves a lot of credit for the team's 113-107 win over the Wizards, the big man made it clear he couldn't get it done without the optimal spacing.
"I have much more space, I had a bunch of shooters around me," Embiid said. "They're not just shooters because, on defense, we also got stops. We were able to run and get me the ball and let me do what I do best. It's easier -- the other team, they had to respect Seth [Cury], they had to respect Shake [Milton], they had to respect Furkan [Korkmaz], they had to respect the guys that were out on the court with me."
Although the Sixers' 28-percent three-point shooting average didn't look great on paper compared to the Wizards' 48-percent, teams still can't risk gambling on leaving Philly's set of proven shooters open. Shots will fall, and the defense will have to respect the personnel surrounding Embiid down the stretch.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_
