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The Philadelphia 76ers' loss to the New York Knicks featured the season debut of Joel Embiid. The big man was far from his best self but being able to play was an important first step towards that level.
Embiid's stats lagged well behind his usual standard: 13 points, five assists, three rebounds on 2-11 shooting. His playmaking shined as he kept the ball moving, set good screens and avoided turnovers (committing just two) while hitting all eight of his foul shots. But he was unable to manufacture shots off the dribble, only hitting field goals on an open catch-and-shoot triple and a post-up against two perimeter players.
“I felt okay,” Embiid told reporters after the game. “First five minutes were rough but I guess that's what happens when you haven’t played in a while. I thought after that, still extremely rusty. That’s expected. Thought overall, I felt pretty good health-wise. I think it's just about trusting myself. Thought I was a little timid, so I stuck with a lot of jumpers just to get myself a little comfortable. But as the games go, I'm sure just getting back to myself is gonna be easier.”
Joel Embiid makes season debut in 76ers' loss to Knicks
When Embiid's jumper falls, he can break opposing defenses. However, when he doesn’t have the burst to make opponents pay for playing too high up on him, it's harder for him to use his jumper to lead the way. He tried turning to post-ups but the Sixers' poor entry passing left him empty.
Nick Nurse said the big man was “certainly rusty” in his return to action, as is often the case with Embiid. He takes several games to get his legs back under him before being one of the most dominant players on the planet.
Nick Nurse on Joel Embiid’s performance, shaking off rust: pic.twitter.com/H2MGD185ox
— Sam DiGiovanni (@BySamDiGiovanni) November 13, 2024
“Both rusty a little bit and conditioning, I think showed up fairly early,” the 76ers head coach said. “Seen him kind of play through that before, respond in the second half after being on a layoff a little bit. Seemed to do it a little bit but then I thought he got a little tired again in the fourth [quarter]. Probably to be expected. I thought he played with some pretty good competitive spirit for what he could do out there.”
Embiid wants to play in the 76ers' next game, a back-to-back game against the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers, as he shakes off more rust.
“I mean, the first five minutes, that's expected,” Embiid said. “We all go through the same thing. And then I thought after that, it was fine. You can do whatever you want in practice and scrimmages. But the game's a different story, so I'll be fine.”
