How 76ers Overcame Offensive Woes Without Joel Embiid Against Timberwolves

The Philadelphia 76ers faced improbable odds entering their game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night. They lost to the 16-win New Orleans Pelicans the day before and had a two-and-a-half-hour flight to Minneapolis right after.

If fatigue wasn’t challenging enough, Philadelphia—then on a four-game losing streak—announced that Joel Embiid would miss his fifth consecutive game. Without Embiid and Paul George, the Sixers relied on Tyrese Maxey to carry their offense. Except this time, he wasn’t alone and Philadelphia snapped its losing skid as a result.

Maxey erupted for 39 points in the 76ers’ (31-26) 135-108 win over the Timberwolves (35-23) on Sunday. Although his scoring powered Philadelphia to victory, its other three double-digit scorers relieved some pressure from Maxey, allowing him to hit his scoring stride.

The Sixers’ offense won’t always appear this well-oiled sans Embiid and George, but their balanced approach is key to weathering that storm.

The Sixers have struggled offensively without Embiid as of late. Heading into Sunday's game, they had lost seven of their last nine without him. They aim to play faster when he sits, but they're more half-court-oriented when he's available.

“We’re playing multiple styles of basketball,” Maxey said after Philadelphia’s 117-107 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on February 19. “I’m having a successful year, but I played three different roles. That’s difficult, but it comes with it sometimes. That’s not an excuse that you can use. You gotta go out there with what we have out there and try to win games.”

The Sixers overcame Embiid’s absences early in the season with three-point shooting, which gave Maxey room to probe off the dribble. According to NBA.com, they were 12th leaguewide in three-point percentage across their first 18 games, 12 of which Embiid missed. With their offense firing on all cylinders, Maxey emerged as a top-three scorer in the NBA and kept the Sixers afloat.

The Sixers have since cooled off, though. They're 22nd in the league in perimeter accuracy in February.

Between their weaker spacing as well as Embiid and George’s unavailability, Maxey has struggled to anchor the Sixers offense at the rate he did earlier in the year. He shot only 40.4 percent over his last five outings heading into Sunday, which is well below his season average.

But the Sixers' non-Embiid offense returned to form against Minnesota, reminding everyone how dangerous it can be.

The Sixers shot 21-of-37 from beyond the arc as a product of ball movement and fast-break pressure. Those aspects sometimes escape them, as their offense tends to stagnate with Maxey as its lone engine.

VJ Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes made all the difference by scoring 24 and 19 points, respectively.

The Sixers finding non-Maxey scoring avenues discouraged the Timberwolves from throwing two defenders at him. The result? Maxey torched Minnesota off the bounce and exploited its insufficient rim protection without Rudy Gobert.

Edgecombe’s scoring has raised the Sixers' offensive ceiling. They are 10-4 this season when he scores at least 20 points. Meanwhile, Grimes’ spot-up shooting and pick-and-roll facilitating allowed the Sixers to sustain their momentum when Maxey rested. He assisted on six of Adem Bona’s eight points, which helped them launch a critical 18-6 run in the first half.

The Sixers’ production won’t always be so efficient, especially without Embiid and George. But they can hedge their bets by keeping Edgecombe, Grimes and Kelly Oubre Jr. (18 points) involved.

That would only help Maxey stay as fresh as possible as the Sixers, who hold a 0.5-game edge for the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, aim to claim their stake in the postseason.