‘When we have Joel, it’s even better:’ How the Sixers sharpened their defense at the right time

As Joel Embiid’s return from knee surgery became imminent Tuesday, questions during Nick Nurse’s pregame news conference rolled in about where the reigning MVP’s biggest immediate impact would be.

When that shifted from his dominant scoring to his defensive force, the coach acknowledged the boost Embiid’s presence organically would provide. He also quickly offered this qualifier:

“I’m, like, super happy with our defense right now, by the way,” Nurse said. “I think our defense is tough.”

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Nurse has expressed this belief for weeks, a satisfaction that his Sixers had sharpened their identity on that end of the floor even while the offense struggled to make shots without Embiid. Now with Embiid back on the floor, that growth was on display late in Thursday’s massive win at the Miami Heat. The Sixers limited the Heat to 17 fourth-quarter points, including three during the final 6 minutes, 28 seconds to flip an eight-point deficit into a four-point victory and move closer to seventh place in the Eastern Conference. That swift rebuild continues during the final five regular-season games, including Saturday at the Memphis Grizzlies.

“When we have Joel, it’s even better,” Nurse said, “because we can be that much more aggressive.”

Following Thursday’s win in Miami, Nurse described to reporters that the Sixers were “really busting our butts” on a night he again called the offense “disorganized” and “stand-still-y” while continuing to reintegrate Embiid. During that decisive fourth quarter, the Heat shot 6-of-22 from the floor, including 2-of-13 from beyond the arc. They committed five turnovers. And they went through a nearly six-minute scoring drought, from when Jimmy Butler made two free throws at the 6:28 mark until Terry Rozier buried a desperation three-pointer with 45.5 seconds to play.

That stretch more resembled the Sixers’ defensive unit that was the NBA’s most efficient in December (108.3 points allowed per 100 possessions) — and a top-15 unit before the All-Star break — rather than the one that ranked 28th in February (120 points allowed per 100 possessions) while trying to reconfigure on the fly after losing Embiid’s ability to protect the rim, deter drivers, and cover teammates’ mistakes.

And that progress has occurred while the Sixers’ offense, entering Friday, ranked 23rd in efficiency since the All-Star break (110.5 points per 100 possessions), a number that actually has gone up in the past two weeks. The only teams worse over that span — the Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards, Portland Trail Blazers, Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons, Grizzlies and Charlotte Hornets — will end the season at the bottom of the standings.

Trademarks of Nurse’s relentless style — they entered Friday leading the league in steals (8.3 per game), and ranked fourth in turnovers forced (14.5 per game) — have been present throughout the season, even while perimeter pests De’Anthony Melton and Robert Covington have missed about three months with injuries.

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But over their past 15 games, the Sixers have followed that dreadful February by ranking ninth in efficiency (111.3 points allowed per 100 possessions), fifth in points in the paint allowed (44.3 per game), and first in blocks (6.9 per game) even while lacking traditional size beyond Mo Bamba.

Among the difference-makers have included the arrival and acclimation of guard Kyle Lowry, who brings tenacity and experience in Nurse’s system after joining the Sixers in February. Nico Batum’s steadiness and versatility to guard multiple positions also provides value. Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre Jr., meanwhile, are among the players who have improved at pressuring the ball “kind of right before our eyes,” Nurse said.

More broadly, the coach is noticing fewer errors while transitioning between schemes, combined with more anticipatory rotations or collective resistance at the rim when a breakdown occurs. The Sixers have leaned on core principles instilled during training camp, such as “eagle,” which means building a wall in transition with outstretched arms resembling wings, or “crack and pursue,” a rebounding approach where guards help big men box out.

“You’ve got to pay attention to all the small details that we do, and the intricacies of the defense,” said Lowry, who played for the Raptors when Nurse was the head coach from 2018 to 2021. “It’s not just the simple defense. It’s always understanding who the matchup is, who the defender is, who the offensive guy is. …

“It’s a lot of different things going a lot of different ways, at a million miles per hour.”

Nurse began to recognize an uptick defensively in mid-March and said following a home win over Charlotte that those improvements “would show a lot more if we were scoring a little more.” Though a 19-of-39 mark from three-point range by the Phoenix Suns in a March 20 loss prompted Nurse to focus on closeout technique during the following day’s practice, the Sixers forced 23 turnovers that night and another 21 in their next game against the Lakers. And when Suns coach Frank Vogel claimed the reason for those giveaways was that the Sixers “foul all night long,” Nurse matter-of-factly clapped back with, “I like that.”

“If that’s what they’re saying,” Nurse said, “that means we are playing aggressive and we are up into people.”

Still, candid conversations — and public challenges — have surfaced during these positive defensive strides.

After Maxey returned from a concussion in a March 12 loss at the New York Knicks, Nurse flatly said the All-Star guard did “not [have] much of an impact on the defensive end.” Then when asked about a week later about newcomer Buddy Hield’s diligent workout regimen, the coach shared that he had told the sharpshooting guard at that morning’s shootaround that he would continue to hold him accountable on defense, “because I know you can play it. And you’ve got to play it to a certain standard, or you’re going to sit [on the bench].”

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From practice in Los Angeles a couple days later, Hield acknowledged he was still adjusting to the Sixers’ terminology and strategy differences, such as sending offensive players directionally to their weak hand or the baseline, versus simply not giving up the middle of the floor.

“It’s not easy,” said Hield, who was acquired from the Pacers at the trade deadline. “They have a system. … It’s just different.”

Now, Embiid is being added back to that group. A steal of his clinched a victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder when he returned Tuesday. And he was on the floor during the Sixers’ stretch run in Miami, when teammates made several impact plays.

As Caleb Martin attempted to hand the ball off to Butler with 1:35 minutes remaining, Lowry jarred it loose for Oubre to scoop up and take for a transition dunk. A few seconds later, multiple players swarmed Butler to force a jump ball that wound up in the Sixers’ grasp. And as the Heat trailed by two on their final possession, Maxey stayed with Rozier on the perimeter, before Lowry came over to help and nearly ripped the ball away. Butler eventually received a pass and misfired on a three-pointer, and Maxey corralled the ball when Haywood Highsmith lost the rebound.

That stretch epitomized a Batum proclamation from about two weeks ago.

“The one thing we can’t lose is the defense,” he said. “… It’s something we’re going to need in April.”