December was a fun month for Philadelphia 76ers fans. While rumors continue to swirl about what Daryl Morey might do ahead of the trade deadline, a lot was learned about this team and its current roster over the last days of 2023. The biggest is what the team looks like when its best player is unavailable. After a few games, the Sixers are showing how they can win without Joel Embiid.
The Sixers Are Showing How to Win Without Embiid
The big concern every year in Philadelphia is whether or not Embiid can stay healthy and if they can find ways to win when he’s inevitably not. Nick Nurse and his coaching staff had a few chances to answer the latter, starting with the first game of the month against the Boston Celtics.
That night was a rare Tyrese Maxey-less game. Without the pair of likely All-Stars, the role players stepped up, offering a glimpse of the depth it might take to finally push this team past the conference semifinals. Patrick Beverley had what might end up being his biggest scoring night in a Sixers uniform, providing 26 points. Paul Reed and Robert Covington also helped with 14 and 18 points, respectively. Overall, the team shot almost 46% from the field in a loss that felt like a win in some ways.
Christmas Day was another chance to see what this team could do without last year’s MVP. While Maxey had the worst game of his season, shooting 4-of-20 from the field, key contributions from Kelly Oubre Jr., Tobias Harris, and Mo Bamba helped erase a 14-point half-time deficit and almost pull off a Christmas miracle. This might have been a missed opportunity to gain more national attention, but it’s ultimately still just one road game in December.
The Sixers Finally Win With Embiid Unavailable
Two days later, Philadelphia got its first win this season without Embiid. Staying in the Sunshine State, Maxey regained his shooting touch while De’Anthony Melton shot 4-7 from downtown and put up 22 points. Harris again chipped in with 22 as the Sixers took down an Orlando Magic team currently sitting in the top five in the East.
Friday night against the Houston Rockets was a massive team effort. Marcus Morris Sr. has been on a mission to prove why he should stay right where he is at the trade deadline. The Philadelphia native hit a huge three-pointer to ice the game against the Rockets. Along with the win against the Minnesota Timberwolves earlier this month, this felt like one of the more significant results of this young season. Every player who saw the court contributed something positive, but a certain young guard finally took his chance to be the leading man.
Maxey’s performance in these situations is interesting to note. Whenever Embiid leaves the floor, the team tends to lean heavily on Maxey until the big man returns. Of course, he was absent from the Celtics game, and every player has an off night like he experienced in Miami, where the shots don’t fall. But Maxey’s performance in Orlando, especially in Houston, is what fans will be hoping for when he takes the reigns. His 27 points at half is a career-high, and his demeanor and energy helped push the 76ers past a talented and stubborn Rockets team. Maxey finished the game with 41 points.
Spreading the Ball Around Is the Way to Offset Embiid’s Absence
The biggest observation from these games is how the 76ers share the load offensively and move the ball around when Embiid is out. Philly had at least five players hitting double-digit points in three of those four games without him. This may seem obvious, as there is no like-for-like swap when Embiid needs a break. But the games against the Magic and the Rockets should be the blueprint going forward.
So… if Embiid can’t suit up, can this team win games in the postseason by counting on getting 12-18 points from five or six players and Maxey being the guy?
First, let’s hope we don’t have to find out. This may be the year he avoids injuries and dominates throughout the playoffs, finally fulfilling the Process and taking Philadelphia to the promised land of the conference finals.
Sixers fans would love nothing more than to see him continue to drop 30 by half-time, then get bubble-wrapped for the rest of the game. But, with Boston and the Milwaukee Bucks playing the way they are, that first seed will be crucial. That means these games matter, and the big man needs to play.
Before the 1982-83 season, the 76ers brought Moses Malone to deal with Kareem Abdul-Jabaar. It was not a given that they’d get a rematch with the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals. But, they prepared as if it was. This team would be wise to take a similar approach with Embiid. We might now have an idea of what that will look like. We’ll see if any moves before the trade deadline shake things up.
