Fresh Off Throwback Performance, Joel Embiid Says He's Willing to Sacrifice

Heading into Friday, Joel Embiid hadn't scored 39 or more points in a single game since Game 6 of the 2024 NBA playoffs. More than 19 months and yet another knee surgery later, Embiid showed flashes of his previous MVP-caliber self in the Sixers' 115-105 win over the Indiana Pacers.

Embiid finished with a season-high 39 points on 12-of-23 shooting to go with a season-high nine rebounds, three assists, two three-pointers and a steal in only 32 minutes. He also drew 18 free-throw attempts on the night, which was his highest mark since Game 4 of the 2024 playoffs.

Granted, the 6-19 Pacers have been one of the NBA's worst teams this year. They're also starting Jay Huff at center, who came into the season with only two starts across his first four seasons combined. This was the first game that Tyrese Maxey missed all season, which put more of the scoring load on Embiid, Paul George and VJ Edgecombe. And thanks to the NBA Cup, the Sixers had four days of rest before this game, which allowed Embiid to recover from a hand issue that had been bothering him recently.

In other words, this game could be the outlier of all outliers. Once Maxey returns, Embiid figures to slide back down the offensive totem pole. He also needs to prove that he's able to replicate performances like these once the Sixers are back on a normal schedule before anyone gets too carried away.

After the game, Embiid hinted that he's capable of more nights like these moving forward, but he's OK taking a backseat to Maxey, Edgecombe, George and his other teammates, too.

"Feels good, obviously. Playing like that, I feel like I can do it," he told reporters. "I think the dynamics are obviously different at times. I want to play more as a team, making sure everyone's involved. If someone has to sacrifice, I will. But in some occasions, where I got it going or nights like tonight, it's gonna happen.

"I don't expect having to do this when everyone is healthy, but I will if I have to."

Can The Sixers Realistically Expect More Throwback Embiid Nights?

Embiid has missed 14 of the Sixers' first 24 games this year. He told reporters after Friday's win over the Pacers that he came out of the game feeling great, but the Sixers have him "on a schedule of having two days off between every game." Assuming that remains the case, Embiid is likely on the doubtful side of questionable for Sunday's game against the Atlanta Hawks.

Heading into the season, Embiid pledged that he planned to "listen to my body" going forward rather than trying to push through injuries. He noted that his availability would "be unpredictable at times" as a result, which caused the Sixers to develop a non-Embiid-centric identity this season for the first time since he made his NBA debut in 2016.

With Embiid taking more of a backseat, Maxey has emerged as an All-NBA-caliber superstar. He's finishing at the rim better than ever before and is currently on pace to have one of the best seasons in Sixers history. George also appears to be rounding back into form after missing the first 12 games of the season due to offseason knee surgery. He finished with a season-high 23 points, six rebounds, five assists, four triples and a steal in only 33 minutes against the Pacers on Friday.

For the first 10 years of Embiid's NBA career, the Sixers more or less went as far as he dragged them. This is the first year where that's no longer the case. Throwback nights like this from him are a bonus rather than a necessity.

The Sixers' main organizational priorities this season appear to be twofold: Get Embiid and George to the playoffs in one piece, and have a clear plan of attack in place whenever either one of them miss time. Maxey is the clear fulcrum of the latter. Friday's game was a stark reminder of what Embiid brings to the table when he's cooking offensively, though.

As On SI's Austin Krell noted in his takeaways, Embiid still has a ways to go defensively, particularly when he gets switched onto a guard. That's the next major step of his recovery. Even if Embiid has it going offensively, the Sixers can't afford for him to give it all back on the other end of the court.

With that said, Sixers fans should feel encouraged by Embiid's ability to muster a throwback performance like he did on Friday. If he can conjure those when Maxey and/or George are sidelined or are having an off night, the Sixers might be a legitimate dark horse in the wide-open Eastern Conference.