How Joel Embiid made NBA history

It’s simple: Joel Embiid is very good at basketball. He scored 101 points in 24 hours.

This is accurate, especially after Embiid’s masterpiece against Utah on Sunday: 59 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and seven blocks. Yet, Sunday’s game is only half of the story.

When Embiid began playing for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2016, playing both ends of a back-to-back was a non-starter. He was not thrilled by that arrangement because he had the desire to play after missing two seasons. But playing consistently is now how Embiid gets in shape and finds his rhythm.

Health is a priority, and while there will be load management nights, the numbers don’t lie. According to StatMuse, Embiid played eight times with no days of rest last season and averaged 34 points, 12 rebounds and four assists while shooting 48 percent from the field, 40 percent on 3-pointers and 88 percent from the line.

But it’s what he did last Saturday and Sunday that showcased his dominance.

Stellar midrange game

On Sunday, Embiid became the first player in NBA history to record 50-plus points, 10-plus rebounds, five-plus assists and five-plus blocks in a game since 1973-74. But at one point against the Jazz, Embiid threw up his hands in exasperation.

The back-to-back games last week were a microcosm of Embiid’s shooting this season: He was on fire from midrange (19 of 26 on 2s outside of the restricted area) but could not buy a 3-pointer (2 of 11).

When asked when he knew he could be in for a big night on Sunday, Embiid joked that it was when he made his only 3-pointer.

“I don’t know what’s going on, I got a couple of days to fix it,” he said.

Embiid is shooting 54 percent on midrange jumpers per Cleaning The Glass, including a scorching 57 percent on long 2s (14 feet and further). History says those numbers will go down a bit and Embiid knows that. He’s also due for some improvement in his 3-point shooting (24 percent). But for now, it’s hard not to sit back and marvel at his work inside the arc.

This is about when the old-school chorus of “Stay in the post!” becomes deafening. The midrange shots that Embiid have been taking are also difficult attempts and many of them are not coming from the low post. Embiid’s favorite player is Kobe Bryant, whom he has analyzed over the past few years. Combine Embiid’s film study with his improvement as a shooter and ballhandler and now he often functions as a gigantic wing.

Check out the progression in his pull-up shooting over the past few seasons, per NBA com:

Embiid currently ranks 10th in pull-up 2-pointer frequency. Ahead of him are traditional midrange operators like DeMar DeRozan of the Chicago Bulls, Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets and Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns. Even if that 57.6 percent figure drops, it’s a testament to Embiid’s improvement as an individual scorer.

‘I’ll take that every night’

Embiid doesn’t hesitate to mention when he is getting double- and triple-teamed. But he didn’t see a lot of extra bodies against the Hawks and the Jazz.

“I just saw how they were guarding me, just like last night. I’ll take that every night,” Embiid said after Sunday’s win over Utah. “If they’re not going to double-team as much, I hope every team does it, so I’ll take it.”

Atlanta’s primary Embiid defender was Clint Capela, one of the most formidable one-on-one defenders Embiid will see this season.

Even with excellent mobility, Capela tends to play a half-step away from Embiid. His primary goal is to be prepared for the bully-ball drive, so he cheats towards it and, if anything, surrenders the pull-up jumper. That is where one of Embiid’s most devastating moves comes into play, the left-handed hang dribble. He drilled four jumpers in Capela’s face with this move.

There is a devastating simplicity to Embiid’s game. Once he uses the hang dribble, his footwork is the same every time: right foot back, left foot forward and then right foot forward. He can use the “right forward step” in two different ways, either as part of a “1-2” pull-up jumper or to explode to the rim if the defender gets too close, as Capela does below.

Smaller defenders: no problem

Utah mostly defended Embiid with smaller players who got into his space. That led Embiid to drive by the initial Jazz defender a bit more than we saw against the Hawks on Saturday, and yet, he still has counters.

Look at the play below, which occurs a few possessions after Embiid beat Rudy Gay with a right-handed drive. Embiid fakes to his right and gets free for a one-dribble pull-up jumper to his left.

‘Let’s just get the ball to Jo’

“It’s funny, at one point the coach was trying to run a play, like a pick-and-roll play,” teammate Tyrese Maxey said. “And I was like, ‘Let’s just get the ball to Jo.’ And he was like, ‘I agree.’ “

When it comes to set plays, there were three that were successful for Embiid last weekend. The first involved Matisse Thybulle setting a “ghost” screen at the top of the key for Maxey before setting a pindown on the opposite block for Embiid, which can be viewed in the video of him scoring on Capela.

Then there is a double pick-and-roll set — essentially a double drag, except in the half court — with Embiid as the second screener as Shake Milton rejects Embiid’s screen and forces the switch onto Gay (video right above). And finally, PJ Tucker sets a cross-screen for Embiid to get a traditional post touch on the block.

Outside of some pick-and-roll chemistry with Maxey late in the Atlanta game, these sets were a healthy dose of isolation basketball. Tucker said that Embiid didn’t say much throughout his scoring barrage on Sunday except for signaling which offensive set he wanted.

“They’re all for him anyway,” Tucker said.

Needing all of it

Embiid played 77 minutes in the back-to-back games, and the Sixers outscored their opponents by 47 points in those minutes. In the 19 minutes Embiid sat, the Sixers were outscored by 28 points.

And while the plus-minus made it feel like the 2019 NBA playoffs all over again, Embiid is a much more complete offensive player now.

Success on defense

Perhaps the biggest reason for the extreme on-off splits is that Embiid has turned back the clock on defense, reaching the intensity he had promised in the preseason. And to both his and the team’s credit, the defense didn’t start turning around last weekend.

The Sixers (7-7) rank fifth in defensive efficiency according to Cleaning The Glass, which is somewhat stunning considering how unorganized and lethargic they appeared out of the gate. Here are some other noteworthy stats:

• In the past five games since James Harden left the lineup, the Sixers are surrendering 101.4 points per 100 possessions. That is the stingiest defense in the league during that stretch by a mile. No. 2. (Brooklyn) is closer to No. 11 (Portland) than the Sixers in that span.

• For the season, the Sixers are giving up 105.0 points per 100 possessions when Embiid is on the floor, a full 12 points better than when he sits. Some of that has to do with the all-offense, no-defense nature of the Harden-led small-ball units, but that is currently the difference between the league’s best and 28th-ranked defenses.

• When Embiid is on the floor, the Sixers are allowing fewer shots at the rim (30 percent of opponent shots versus 36.2 percent when he sits) and fouling much less (17.7 percent of the time when Embiid is on the court versus 27.3 percent when he sits). Having a mobile, smart and engaging 7-footer on the back line helps in the restricted area.

“It started with me being more impactful than I was in the first three or four games,” Embiid said of the team’s defensive turnaround. “Getting back to myself, protecting the rim first of all and making sure nobody drives in there.”

Pick-and-roll coverage

Embiid finished with seven blocks against the Jazz. And somehow, that doesn’t begin to tell the story of his defensive impact on Sunday night. He made the correct rotations that led to steals and missed shots. And one of the areas that Embiid spoke about is his pick-and-roll coverage.

“I should be in the paint, blocking shots, protecting the rim. That’s what I’m good at,” Embiid said. “So that’s what we’ve been doing lately, just making sure we keep our coverages whether it’s 1 through 3, 1 through 4. And then having me back there, not necessarily drop coverage but still being at the level of the screen and making sure no one drives in there.”

Embiid’s positioning on screens has been a fascinating topic over the years. When guards start raining shots, it’s frustrating to see Embiid in drop coverage. But as he said, the goal should be to keep him close to the rim and away from getting tired chasing guards on the perimeter.

“We want him up on the screen, being able to get back,” Sixers coach Doc Rivers said. “We want our low man to take the role as much as he can so Joel can get back. And we want our guards fighting over screens.”

When it comes to the concept Embiid and Rivers are mentioning, this clip is the ideal Sixers possession. Thybulle and Maxey switch the guard-guard screen and Maxey fights over the ball screen. Embiid is at the level of stopping the shot, and when Jarred Vanderbilt rolls, Tucker is the short man who takes a step in to stop the pass to the roller before rotating back to his assignment in the corner.

And at times, Embiid mixes in a trap or aggressive coverage to keep the defense guessing. In the clip below, he’s playing a cat-and-mouse game with Mike Conley in drop coverage.

Elite company

The only players in Sixers history who have scored more points in a game than Embiid’s 59 are Allen Iverson (60 points) and Wilt Chamberlain (68-, 65- and 62-point games). Heady company, for sure.

“I love Philly, happy to be here. Those are two legends that have played here and that I respect a lot,” Embiid said. “To be in that company means a lot, but I still got a long way to go.”

Still work to be done

The Sixers have work to do going forward. Their guard depth — until Harden returns — and the bench play are concerns. Maxey has struggled for a couple of weeks and Tobias Harris needs to take more responsibility. There will be plenty of nights when the team can’t rely only on Embiid’s unbelievable performances.

And while the defense is improving with opponents shooting a league-worst 31.5 percent from beyond the arc, the Sixers can’t bank on that to continue.

“The season is about to be fun,” Embiid said. “I don’t know when we’re getting James back, we can’t wait to have him back. But as a team, I think we’re starting to find our way.”

In their own words

Here are some other memorable quotes from his teammates and Rivers:

George Niang: “When he has it going — It’s something that I’ll be able to tell my kids, my grandkids. I’ve never been on a team with someone who scored 60 but I’ve been on a team with someone who scored 59. That’s what I told Joel.”

Thybulle: “It’s fun to celebrate the big days but what he’s been able to start doing is getting back to himself consistently — my man’s been sick, he’s been injured, he’s had to go through the wringer. So, to have him go through one of these days, it’s like, ‘Oh, you can breathe again and feel like Joel Embiid and look like Joel Embiid.’ It’s great to see.”

Rivers: “I’ve seen a guy score a lot of points. I haven’t seen a guy score a lot of points, rebound and get blocked shots. That was impressive. He was getting everything.

Maxey: “He had 59 points but the thing I was most proud of him today was how he protected the rim.”

(Photo of Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey: Bill Streicher / USA Today)