The Philadelphia 76ers have been off to a very promising start to the 2023-24 season. Owners of the best net rating and one of the top records in the Eastern Conference, the Sixers have been winning games and Joel Embiid has again put himself near the top of MVP conversations. Daryl Morey loves what he sees — and in his eyes, so does Embiid.
Morey said in an interview with the John Kincade Show on 97.5 The Fanatic that Embiid is playing at a new level this season. The reason why? The Sixers' infrastructure around him, which was revamped by a new head coach in Nick Nurse and some new players following the James Harden trade, allows him to dominate in a multitude of ways.
“You see he's playing with like a real joy. And that's a big deal to Joel,” Morey said. “Obviously, when you're as good as him, sometimes it's about like, ‘Hey, tonight, as we play on a Monday and it's a back-to-back, how am I getting myself excited for tonight?’ It's a long season.”
Morey said that Embiid “loves adding things to his game. This year, because of the changes and because of all his offseason work and Nick Nurse and the new teammates, he's come into work excited that he's showing more of his versatility, and he's really thriving in that. And it shows up on the defensive end, too. I've had a lot of great bigs in my career — obviously, Joel is the best that I ever had — and when they're excited about how they're playing on the offensive end, it often translates over to defense as well. And I think we're seeing that as well.”
The main things Embiid has improved this season are his playmaking and offensive rebounding. The Sixers' big man is being put in a better position to make plays for others. His stellar partnership with Tyrese Maxey and Philly's emphases on pace and sets that utilize off-ball movement have helped him average a career-high 6.4 assists per game.
Also, Embiid is attacking the offensive glass with more gusto than ever before, posting a career-high 3.3 offensive rebounds per game. He still dominates on defense and can score on any defender, leading the NBA with 33.4 points per game. But now that he's showing he can make the right reads on offense more consistently and fight for extra possessions.
The Sixers have room to get better but Joel Embiid is still improving and will have them competing night in and night out.
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