Tobias Harris, Shake Milton Assess Joel Embiid’s Return vs. Hawks

Going into Monday night’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks, the Philadelphia 76ers weren’t sure whether they would have Joel Embiid in the mix or not.

As Embiid missed all four games last week due to a mid-foot sprain, the big man was on pace to potentially miss five in a row. However, the All-Star center gave himself a chance to play on Monday against the Hawks as he was upgraded to questionable ahead of the matchup.

After going through pregame warmups, Embiid deemed himself ready to go. Sure enough, the big man was in the Sixers’ starting five on Monday night.

Embiid wasn’t the best version of himself right out of the gate. Considering he hadn’t played in over a week and was still dealing with the after-effects of the sprain, Embiid struggled to find a rhythm early on in the game.

“I thought he was almost trying too much to get everybody involved, which we want, but we want to get him involved, too,” said Sixers head coach Doc Rivers. 

In the first quarter of action on Monday night, Embiid struggled from the field as he didn’t knock down any of his three shots. Although he collected four points, his production came from the charity stripe through the first eight minutes of his shift.

“I came in with a mindset to get my teammates involved because everybody's been having it going and playing so well, so I just wanted to keep that going,” Embiid admitted. “We've always had a system. I think lately, they've been moving the ball, they've been making shots, and then we've been playing good defense. So, I just wanted to come in and feed in to try and make sure that everybody keeps doing what they've been doing because they've been doing a great job.”

Without Embiid, the Sixers established a flow by sharing the ball and riding the hot hand throughout the four-game stretch without the big man. Knowing what Embiid brings to the table, the Sixers know they can rely on the All-Star offensively, but Embiid wanted to make sure his team didn’t change their winning ways as he got back into the mix. 

After a slow start to the game, Embiid found his footing as the night progressed.

“He was great,” said Sixers forward Tobias Harris. “His presence and his dominance is huge for our whole group, and I thought he did a great job involving everybody in the game.”

While scoring is Embiid’s bread and butter, the big man’s playmaking development was on full display on Monday night. As he looked to keep his teammates going offensively, Embiid dished out seven assists. Then when his shot started falling, and the Sixers needed a closer in the second half, the big man flashed his MVP-caliber play to help put the Hawks away.

“His ability to take over games, especially in the fourth quarter, is big for us,” Harris continued. “He did awesome and we were excited to have him back. We would have loved to have him back earlier, but it was good to get him back for tonight.”

“I think it was just a flow of the game,” said Sixers guard Shake Milton. “Just the way the defense was playing us. We were able to get into some of that elbow pick-and-roll stuff. Get Jo in his sweet spot. And it ended up working out for us. I think there was just a concerted effort overall to just move the ball, and we continued that tonight.”

By scoring 11 of the Sixers’ 23 fourth-quarter points, Embiid helped the Sixers outscore the Hawks by three points in crunch time. Although they trailed as many as 16 points in the first half, the Sixers formed a comeback and got out in front when it mattered most. 

In the end, Embiid finished the game with 30 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and two blocks in his first 35 minutes of action. 

The Sixers defeated the Hawks 104-101, advancing to 12-9 on the year as they hit the road for another multi-game trip. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.