On Thursday evening, Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers took on the Toronto Raptors in what was already the second matchup between the two teams on the young season. The Sixers are currently trying to adjust to a new normal after trading James Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers, and it seems that Embiid, for his part, is more than willing to step into more of a facilitator role, if Thursday's Raptors game is any indication.

Midway through the third quarter, Embiid tossed a pass behind his head to cutting wing Kelly Oubre, who was able to finish the play. While it wasn't exactly a pinpoint pass, the play still in some ways resembled something that Nikola Jokic, the reigning Finals MVP and arguably the most talented passer in the NBA, would do.

Joel Embiid has always been known offensively as a scorer first and foremost, but Sixers fans should be thrilled to see him step into more of a role as a playmaker, especially considering that James Harden led the entire NBA in assists a season ago. One player who will surely benefit from Harden's departure is upstart guard Tyrese Maxey, who has looked like a legitimate number two option so far this season, putting up several high-scoring outputs throughout the first two games.

The Sixers, on paper, are still firmly entrenched well below the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference hierarchy. However, if Embiid is able to expand the facilitator aspect of his game, a new dimension to the Philadelphia offense could be added quickly.