Embiid’s iffy presence

Joel Embiid’s return to action the other day brought hope of a reset for the Sixers. If nothing else, it gave them a chance to reignite stability, reclaim lost ground, and, in the process (no pun intended), remind the National Basketball Association that former Most Valuable Player awardee remains central to their cause. Instead, what unfolded was the opposite, courtesy of a chaotic double-overtime setback to the Hawks that showed their rust in all the wrong places, and more.

First, the good news: Embiid managed to put up 18, four, two, one, and one in a season-high 30 minutes. And while he was held out in the second overtime, he insisted in the aftermath that his knee felt fine, and that he was “just happy I got to play.” Now, the bad news: The Sixers still lost despite the return of Embiid, and with Paul George and Tyrese Maxey also on the floor, a particularly telling outcome. Given the latter’s monster numbers (44, seven, and nine in 52 minutes of exposure).

That the Sixers failed to protect home court with the Big Three nominally intact underscores a deeper shift already under way in the City of Brotherly Love. As pundits have noted, the baton has effectively been passed from Embiid and George to Maxey and, yes, rookie VJ Edgecombe. The number three overall pick in the 2025 draft is off to a promising start, and, for the first time in a long while, the red, white, and blue aren’t simply waiting for their stars to heal. Their dynamic backcourt has allowed them to stay afloat even in the face of recurring injuries to their bigs.

That said, the loss to the Hawks reveals the limits of the Sixers’ evolution. Embiid’s mobility remains a question mark, and to a point where he needs to be used in spurts and can no longer be the focal point of the offense. In any case, paint protection will stay shaky given his physical frailties. Which is to say his iffy presence serves as a reminder that the future should be vastly different. Else, they will be treating themselves to the same old, same old.