76ers’ Joel Embiid Embraces Extra Attention From Nets’ Defenders

76ers center Joel Embiid acquired a lot of attention from the Nets' defense in Game 1.

Drawing several defenders when gaining possession of the ball is nothing new for Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid. As one of the NBA’s most dominant scorers, Embiid is used to seeing double teams and expected the Brooklyn Nets to dial up a heavy dose of them in Game 1 on Saturday.

In past postseasons, Embiid might not have handled the pressure as well, but he continues to raise his value as a passer. And with Embiid trusting the guys that surround him on the court, he found ways to be productive beyond the scoring department on Saturday.

“Just keeping it simple,” Embiid said after the game. “Every single possession, they just kept doubling. It didn't matter where I was, half-court, three-point line, post, I just gotta trust my team. Got to make the simple plays, and, you know, we took advantage of the scheme.”

In Game 1, Embiid checked in for 33 minutes. Putting up 15 shots from the field, the big man knocked down seven of his shots successfully, scoring 26 points. He also had three assists on the offensive end.

“They just doubled. They were running all over the place,” Embiid continued. “Our gameplan was to, especially for me, just invite the double team and make plays for my teammates. Same thing for James [Harden]. Anytime there was double, and anytime there was dribble penetration, he made the right play every time.”

To no surprise, Embiid and Harden were the Sixers’ most productive players on the floor in Game 1 against the Nets. Whenever Embiid garnered so much attention from the Nets, Harden either got going on his own or dished the ball off to somebody else. Harden finished the game with 23 points and 13 assists. 

Embiid and the Sixers closed out Game 1 with a dominant 121-101 win over the Nets. While the Sixers anticipate the Nets making key adjustments in their gameplan — one thing is for sure — Embiid will continue garnering a lot of attention from Brooklyn’s defense, which is something he seems to embrace at this point in his career. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.


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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA