Joel Embiid Reveals His X-Factor Going Into Playoff Series vs. Raptors

The Philadelphia 76ers' road to the 2022 NBA Finals begins on Saturday night. Last season, the Sixers clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference and had a

The Philadelphia 76ers' road to the 2022 NBA Finals begins on Saturday night. Last season, the Sixers clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference and had a cakewalk of a matchup in the first round as they faced the Washington Wizards.

This year, you can't say the same. As Philadelphia notched the fourth seed, they'll face the fifth-seeded Toronto Raptors in round one. 

While the Sixers certainly have the tools to take out the Raptors in a seven-game series, their success or lack thereof against the Raptors in the regular season isn't exactly promising.

In four matchups against the Raptors this year, the Sixers fell short in all but one game. During the first loss against Toronto, the Sixers didn't have Joel Embiid on the floor and hadn't traded for James Harden yet. But in the other two games, they came up short; the Sixers had both Harden and Embiid in the game. Meanwhile, Toronto missed two key players in both of those final victories over the Sixers. 

The Sixers have to be on their A-game going into the first round, and they know it. And in Joel Embiid's eyes, he knows which aspect of his game has to be at its best for Philly to secure their ticket to the next round of the playoffs.

Embiid's X-Factor

It's no secret Joel Embiid's scoring will be essential for the Sixers. After all, the big man became the NBA's scoring leader this season. However, the Raptors have proven that they know how to get the best of Embiid at times and prevent him from having significant scoring nights.

Therefore, Embiid believes his passing will be a critical aspect of the series for the Sixers as Toronto will certainly bring pressure on him.

“It’s gonna have to be huge," said Embiid regarding his passing. "I’m not going into the series looking to average 40. They are gonna get the ball out of my hands. So, it’s all about me really not getting frustrated and keep trusting my teammates over and over and just making the right plays. It doesn’t matter if it’s ten, twenty points, or whatever. As long as we score, that’s my mentality. It starts with me with all of the attention they are gonna throw on me. I just got to make my teammates better.” 

Earlier this week, Embiid admitted that playing the Raptors over the years helped him become a better playmaker overall. Now, he's looking forward to putting his playmaking skills to the test when the first-round series begins on Saturday night.

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