Lighter workload for Joel Embiid could pay dividends for Sixers | Off the Dribble

After a long All-Star break, the 76ers should be refreshed when they return to practice Wednesday. They have been idle since their 110-103 win over the visiting Los Angeles Clippers on Feb. 11.

The Sixers will begin the final third of the season when they host the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday.

The remaining 27 games will provide the Sixers a viable chance to move up in the Eastern Conference standings, They are fifth in the Eastern Conference, 1 1/2 games behind fourth-place Miami and 4 1/2 games behind third-place Boston.

The Sixers’ schedule is favorable, with 19 of the final 27 games against teams with losing records.

For the Sixers to make a run and at least earn home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs by finishing among the top four, they will need a strong finish by three-time All-Star center Joel Embiid.

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One of the more interesting statistics from Embiid is that he has played a total of only 29 regular-season games after the All-Star break in his career.

He played just 10 last season and 19 in 2017-18. Taking it a step further, he has played only two games in the month of April, both last year.

One gets the impression he will have his most active second half coming up, and it appears he is ready for the challenge. Embiid has missed 16 games due to injury, rest, and an earlier two-game suspension for his altercation with Karl-Anthony Towns.

He should be refreshed and while his offensive statistics are down from last year, he is averaging 3.2 minutes per game less.

The production is still impressive, just not quite at last year’s totals. For instance, he averaged 38.6 points per 100 possessions last year. This year the total is 36.4.

His player efficiency rating (PER) this year is an impressive 24.9, which is 10th in the NBA among players who have played at least 30 games, according to Basketball-reference.com. PER is a measure of per minute production, standardized such that the league average is 15.

It might not be a bad thing that Embiid is averaging 30.5 minutes, which is just fifth on his own team. Keeping him fresh for the playoffs has always been the main goal.

Embiid missed nine games with torn ligament in his left ring finger and even when he returned, he still appeared to be playing with pain.

Over the All-Star break, he said that he felt healthy and his left hand felt good.

He didn’t wear the splint on his hand in Sunday’s All-Star game, marking the first time he played without it since returning on Jan. 28.

During his last two games before the All-Star break, a 118-111 victory over visiting Chicago, and the win over the Clippers, he averaged 27 points and 10.5 rebounds, starting to look more like his old self and feeling more comfortable.

There is plenty of time for him to get in gear before the playoffs, without overloading his minutes.

Regardless where the Sixers ended up seeded, a healthy and well-rested Embiid entering the playoffs is something that no opponent will relish dealing with.

Tuesday was the 37th anniversary of the date that Moses Malone, while playing for the Sixers, scored the NBA’s 4,000,000th point. The milestone, naturally came on a tip-in of his own miss in the first quarter of a 127-98 win over his former Houston Rockets team at the Spectrum.

Malone would end up with 26 points and 13 rebounds. The Sixers, who won the NBA title that season, improved to 45-7, while Houston, fell to 10-43 during a dispiriting 14-68 season.

The year before, with Malone on the Rockets, Houston went 46-36 and lost in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. Malone earned the NBA’s MVP award in 1982 and repeated in ’83.

The Sixers lost in the 1982 NBA Finals in six games to the Los Angeles Lakers. Acquiring Malone was the final move to put them over the top.

Tomorrow: Brooklyn Nets at Sixers, 8 p.m., TNT

Saturday: Sixers at Milwaukee Bucks, 8:30 p.m., ABC

Feb. 24: Atlanta Hawks at Sixers, 7 p.m., NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBA TV

Feb. 26: Sixers at Cleveland Cavaliers, 7 p.m., NBC Sports Philadelphia

Feb. 27: New York Knicks at Sixers, 7 p.m., NBC Sports Philadelphia

Question: Media is trying to create a @sixers team rift. If team underperforms, the coach, not Ben/Joel will change. That Ben will shoot “when ready” is unacceptable. It should have been drilled in practices from the beginning. DWade said Ben’s midrange is fine. Stan V Gundy understands. — Gerald D. Williams on Twitter (@jerry25A)

Answer: Thanks, Gerald, you make some good points, although I don’t agree with all. I have to disagree that the media is trying to create a rift. What the media has suggested is that it hasn’t exactly worked smoothly between Simmons and Embiid at all times. I agree that if the team underperforms that Brett Brown will be the guy to go, but nobody can say for sure that the Sixers would still keep both Simmons and Embiid.

I agree with you that Ben needs to shoot more from the perimeter, but how do you know it hasn’t been drilled to him in practice? We are not able to see the practices. Brown came out publicly and said he wanted Ben to attempt a three-pointer each game. So it is not as if he hasn’t tried.

As for Dwyane Wade saying that Ben’s mid-range is fine, I would have to dispute that. It is a small sample size, but this year he is shooting 3-for-22 from 10-14 feet and 1-for-5 from 15-19 feet, according to NBA.com. I have often said that Simmons might not have to attempt threes, but he has to shoot more mid-range shots to keep the defense honest.