Can theSixers Never Win Without Joel Embiid Holding Their Back?

In the long term, it is always a bad move to place all eggs in one basket, and this is exactly what it is with the Philadelphia Sixers. They are so heavily dependent on Joel Embiid that their investments in the remaining players are proving worthless.

The 76ers lost their most recent game against the Detroit Pistons, who were sitting at the bottom of EC. This loss came as a surprise because the Sixers supposedly have a much better roster than the Pistons. So what went wrong?

The Sixers and their over-dependency on Joel Embiid

The Philly side is 12-6 after this loss. Interestingly, they are 12-2 with Joel Embiid in the team and 0-4 without him. This is even more unsettling because the trend has been running in this vein since the last season. 

The Process is the league MVP prospect this year, and his performance so far has only strengthened his case. The Center is having his second-best season (with the first being 2018-19), averaging 27.7 points, 11.5 rebs, 2.7 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.4 blocks. Also, his shooting percentages are touching a career-high with 40.5%-58.9%-83.3% in the running season. Embiid is one reason the Sixers could continuously beat the likes of the dangerous Celtics.

But without Embiid, the team looks rather broken. Coach Doc Rivers and the President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey must devise some strategy to design and organize a better defense mechanism. If anything, they must inject some aggression into the players.

How is the Philadelphia 76ers’ roster depth?

Surprisingly, Doc Rivers’ new side has a deep and dependable roster. They have their catch-and-shoot experts in veterans Danny Green and Tobias Harris. The newly acquired Danny is shooting at 36% from the three-point range, while Tobias is 45.5% from his first 14 games. Next up, Seth Curry is yet another shooting expert who is averaging 16.5 points with an FG accuracy close to 60%. This, coupled with a performing Ben Simmons, makes their Embiid-less starting-five really impressive. So where are they still falling short?

Apart from a non-performing alternative Center in Dwight Howard, the problem majorly lies with their bench. The 24-YO guard Shake Milton aside, they lack the rotation players that can come off the bench and contribute well. When players like Danny Green have their bad days, it comes down to Furkan Korkmaz and Tyrese Maxey to fill the void, but they almost always underperform. Toney Bradley must also better his defense in order to help his side win more games without Embiid.

Read also – 76ers’ Joel Embiid Details How He is Building a Close Relationship With Ben Simmons