Joel Embiid Offers Honest Personal Assessment After 76ers-Magic

How was Joel Embiid feeling in Friday's loss against the Magic?

Nov 15, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) looks on against the Orlando Magic in the third quarter at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

On Friday night, Joel Embiid returned to the Philadelphia 76ers’ lineup. Although he made his 2024-2025 debut on Tuesday night against the New York Knicks, Embiid had a night off against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.

Against the Orlando Magic, Embiid had an opportunity to help get his struggling team back on track. In his first set of action against New York, Embiid’s shot was off. He acknowledged being rusty after the game.

With his second matchup in the books, how is the big man feeling now?

"I’m feeling much better," he told reporters, according to Sixers Wire. "Especially, the start. I thought at first I was OK. The second half, I thought I was actually pretty good.”

Something that caught my eye in the first half more than once was Jared McCain's passing ability.

Having someone making good entry passes to Joel Embiid like this could be huge for the Sixers. pic.twitter.com/fPE5kOrnE4

— Erin Grugan (@eringrugan) November 16, 2024

Embiid started Friday’s game much better. He checked in for 16 minutes and made five of his eight shot attempts from the field. After tacking on six points from the free throw line, Embiid produced 16 points to help the Sixers gain a small lead over the Magic going into the half.

He might’ve felt better from a conditioning standpoint in the second half, but he struggled to remain consistent with his production.

In his final 16 minutes on the court, Embiid went scoreless from the field after taking seven shots. His only production came from the free throw line, where he produced four points.

“Just felt like my legs were a little tight and felt like every shot I was taking was short,” he continued. “So just keep building on and then get to a point where I'm myself."

The Sixers are used to getting 30 points per night from Embiid when he’s healthy. Through two matchups, he’s averaging just about half of that production on 27 percent shooting from the field. Being that he hasn’t played a full NBA game since the 2024 NBA Playoffs, Nick Nurse and the Sixers anticipated rust from the center. It’s just another hurdle they’ll have to get over after a slow start.

final. @cryptocom pic.twitter.com/wsXKgxE3qJ

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 16, 2024

Philly fell short against the Magic on Friday with a 98-86 loss. In NBA Cup play, they drop to 0-2. In the Eastern Conference, they are in 14th place with a 2-10 record.

The Sixers will be back on the floor on Monday night to take on the Miami Heat.