Sixers’ Joel Embiid played so many minutes in his 59-point performance out of necessity
Embiid played all but 57 seconds of the fourth quarter in his team's 105-98 win over the Utah Jazz. The Sixers' instability at backup center played a part in that approach.
The main reason Joel Embiid played all but 57 seconds in the fourth quarter against the Utah Jazz was ... because he had to.
The 76ers’ 105-98 victory Sunday night at the Wells Fargo Center depended on it.
Folks marveled over Embiid scoring 26 of 27 fourth-quarter points for the Sixers, which he paired with five blocked shots in the quarter. They may talk for days about his herculean stat line, a career-high 59 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and seven blocks.
But Embiid’s performance masked the Sixers’ typical woes when he’s off the court.
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On Sunday, the Sixers (7-7) were a plus-25 during the 36 minutes, 41 seconds the All-Star center played. However, they were minus-18 in the 11:19 with him on the bench. Reserve centers Paul Reed and Montrezl Harrell combined to rate minus-14 in 10:22.
“I think on both sides of the floor we need to execute plays better when Joel is not on the floor,” Reed said. “When he’s on the floor, we just give him the ball and move out of the way. …
“And on defense, man, I think we just need to be more solid. We don’t have a lot of room for error. We have to stay in front of our dude. We have to do that better.”
The backup center position has been a question mark. Reed won the backup spot at training camp only to be replaced by Harrell and see limited action at the start of the season. Harrell then got the start against the New York Knicks on Nov. 4 with Embiid sidelined with the flu.
Embiid returned the next game against the Phoenix Suns, and Reed was, once again, his backup while Harrell didn’t play. And he has remained in that role in the Sixers’ last three games. Meanwhile, Harrell didn’t leave the bench against the Suns on Monday and vs. the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday. He only played a combined 9:03 Thursday at Atlanta and in Sunday’s game vs. the Jazz.
The problem is, neither player is a true center. Reed (6-foot-9) and Harrell (6-7) are both undersized and more in the power forward model.
Harrell, the 2020 sixth man of the year as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers, is a bucket-getter. However, defense isn’t his strong suit. Meanwhile, Reed is an athletic shot blocker who lacks consistency. He also has struggled to get a rhythm in each of the last three games.
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Reed failed to score in those three games while shooting a combined 0-for-5. Two of those misses came during his 4:45 of action Sunday. He did block a shot and grab a rebound, but was mostly out of sync. He was benched in favor of Harrell with 7:15 left in the half shortly after shooting a baseline air-ball jumper. But Harrell was only on the floor for 1:08 before being replaced by Embiid.
Harrell missed his lone shot attempt, had an assist and was a minus-3 during that brief stretch. He returned in the third quarter, scoring four points on 2-for-2 shooting along with one rebound and a block. However, he had two turnovers and was a minus-4 during that stretch.
Instead of going back to Harrell, coach Doc Rivers inserted forward P.J. Tucker as a small-ball center as Embiid rested briefly in the fourth quarter. Asked what things the backup centers could improve upon, Harrell said it wasn’t up to him.
“I do my job when my name is called, simple as that,” he said. “When my number is called, I just go out there and do the best of my ability, play the right way, and try to give us a lift off the bench.”
Rivers’ decision to play Harrell and Reed at backup could be affecting their rhythm. There have been times when Harrell has provided a spark only to be benched later in that game or sit out the next one completely.
A prime example was Thursday’s 104-95 loss to the Hawks at State Farm Arena. Harrell checked in with the Sixers trailing, 98-81, and 4:31 left. He had eight points on 3-for-3 shooting along with two rebounds and a steal in 3:26 after sitting out the previous game. He was part of a second unit that pulled the Sixers within six points with 2:02 left. However, the reserves were replaced by the starters with 1:28 left, and Harrell didn’t leave the bench during the next game.
“I just play, man, simple as that,” Harrell said. “I just play the game, man. Of course, I would like to be out there on the floor. Of course, I would want to be in a position where it’s something [I do] consistently. But hey, that’s the game.
“I’ve been in the game for eight years. It’s about coming into the game and doing what you are supposed to do when your name is called. So that’s all I do, man.”
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Harrell has a reputation for voicing his displeasure when things don’t go his way. But as a Sixer, he cheers his teammates on from the bench and shares what he observes while watching from the sideline.
“Then when my name is called,” he said, “just go out there and try to play with the high level and high energy that I’m known for doing.”