Sixers in awe of Joel Embiid after more dominance in win over Pistons

14/12/2023

DETROIT–It shouldn’t be this easy for Joel Embiid. The leader of the Philadelphia 76ers continues to make things look incredibly easy as he put up yet another dominant performance on Wednesday against the Detroit Pistons.

Again playing only three quarters, Embiid had 41 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists in a 129-111 win over the hapless Pistons on the road. Embiid shot 14-for-24 and a perfect 12-for-12 from the foul line.

Counting this one against the Pistons, Embiid is now averaging a ridiculous 40.8 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 5.2 assists over his last four games. Yes, it was against teams with records below .500, but the big fella has been on another level out there.

“Dominance,” said Tobias Harris shaking his head after the win. “I feel like I say that all the time, but it’s true. Just him imposing his will, going out there creating mismatches with anybody who’s guarding him and just picking other teams’ defenses apart and being efficient. Getting to the free-throw line, and making it hard for anybody out there to guard him.”

Coach Nick Nurse and his staff have put Embiid in a terrific position to succeed and be able to orchestrate the offense a bit. He has done a terrific job of just taking what the defense gives him. The Pistons sent a lot of doubles his way on Wednesday and he just picked them a part. It was impressive to see.

“I think he’s given us a variety and doing it in a lot of different ways, so it’s good,” said Nurse. “Mainly he’s using his skill and size to get some great shots. I think that he is interested in what we are trying to do. I’ve talked about this before–we do a lot of drills at shootaround and practice that are focused on all the different coverages he sees. Joel puts a lot of time and effort in.”

Embiid continues to take steps forward. Yes, this was just against the Pistons on a Wednesday night in December, but this was another level the big fella continues to take in his growth as a superstar.

“I’m not seeing anything new,” Embiid said of his success. “I would say I’m just being more aggressive. Taking the shots that are there, making the right plays. They started the game doubling and then I just kept passing and cutting, trying to get some easy ones before the double came. Then at times, they went away from it and I just attacked so I’m just taking whatever they’re giving me. I think as team, we’re just taking advantage of it.”

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