The Philadelphia 76ers will go as far as Joel Embiid takes them. Everything this franchise is doing at the moment depends on him and the rest of the team follows.
That’s why it’s so important for him to lead the way when the Sixers need it and they will continue to lean on him as they move forward with their title chase. Any type of success the Sixers have will depend completely on Embiid and how he handles every challenge that stands in his way.
Tuesday’s win over the Los Angeles Clippers was just another example of that. He had 20 points in the first half as Philadelphia led by 11 at halftime and he finished with 41 points on the night to lead the way to the win. He set the tone and the rest of the team followed.
“Just trying to start off strong because what I’ve come to find out is that my energy kind of drives the whole team,” Embiid told reporters. “I know if I have a good start or if I’m being aggressive offensively and defensively, my teammates are going to pick up no matter if I make shots or not so just trying to be aggressive. Not just for me, but for my whole team.”
After another monster performance, Embiid is now averaging a robust 33.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists. He’s also shooting 53.6% from the floor, 35.2% from deep, and he’s also averaging 1.7 blocks per game. There isn’t much that the big fella can’t do. He’s been terrific in the 2022-23 season.
With that being said, Embiid and the Sixers still do have a ways to go. They are still experimenting with this new lineup wrinkle of having Tyrese Maxey come off the bench, and while Embiid’s partnership with James Harden is dominant already, it still has to continue to grow.
“We still have a long way to go but I like how we’re closing games,” Embiid added. “For these guys, guys coming off the bench, Tyrese, he took over to start the fourth, by the time we had to come in we just had to finish the job. That’s what I’m talking about. Don’t stop the steps. We have to take to make sure when we get in those situations, we know what we have to do offensively and defensively, and just go out and close it out.”
Embiid and the Sixers will now move forward on this road trip when they take on the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday.
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