The Philadelphia 76ers are on a roll early in the new NBA season. They hold a 6-1 record, making them the only team with only one loss. Much of their success has been credited to Joel Embiid's newfound passing ability, which is being propelled by Doc Rivers' system.

In a recent interview, Embiid discussed his improved playmaking, noting it has alleviated him from the stresses of battling defenders.

In an interview with Derek Bodner of The Athletic, Embiid got extra romantic discussing how he handles double teams this season. He also hinted that passing the ball was not really an option for him last season since his teammates would usually miss.

Embiid is averaging just 2.8 assists so far, even lower than his 3.0 norm last season. But while his dishing doesn't necessarily equate to an assist, it does open up things for his teammates on offense.

Soon after taking the coaching post with the Sixers, Rivers shared that their offensive playbook will involve ample spacing in preparation to when defenses collapse on Embiid, who saw his numbers dip last season after a monster campaign in his third year (via Associated Press via ESPN).

“Any time they come from any angle, we’re putting guys in spots where Joel can see them and make easy decisions. All great players are going to get trapped. I have this attitude, if you trap us, we will score. You can feel the guys believing it.”

Well, so far, so good. The Joel Embiid and Doc Rivers connection has been working for the Sixers.