Sixers scouting report is out: Teams key on Joel Embiid’s conditioning and Tyrese Maxey’s speed

The scouting report to beat the 76ers calls for defenders to get physical with them — especially Joel Embiid — and attack Tyrese Maxey.

The assumption is that the big man will wear down, making him noticeably tired and less effective at the end of games.

Being physical with the Sixers is a good strategy because Maxey is not a physical player. The same for Tobias Harris. And despite standing 7-foot-2 and 280 pounds, Embiid, for the most part, is a finesse big.

The Sixers will be forced to adjust to that approach during what will be a long season with a lot of ups and downs.

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This year, opposing teams’ physicality has presented a major problem for the Sixers, with Embiid not in his best shape. When the reigning MVP improves his conditioning, he’ll be able to sustain the physicality longer.

Embiid and the Sixers were pushed to their limits in recent weeks. The youthful Detroit Pistons had success with it before eventually withering against the Sixers’ superior talent, experience, and depth. But the Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers used that tactic in victories over the Sixers.

In addition to dealing with Cleveland’s physicality, the Sixers had a tough time battling the Cavs’ 6-foot-11 center Jarrett Allen and 7-foot power forward Evan Mobley in Tuesday’s 122-119 overtime loss at the Wells Fargo Center.

And for the second time in as many nights, the Sixers faced a towering team in the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Sixers boarded a flight to Minneapolis late Tuesday night for Wednesday’s game against the well-rested Timberwolves. And they played there without Embiid.

The reigning MVP missed his first game of the season because of left hip soreness. His lack of availability made this game feel like mission impossible for the Sixers.

The Western Conference’s first-place Timberwolves prevailed, 112-99, to improve to 11-3. The Sixers (10-5) shot the ball poorly against the NBA’s second-ranked defense in their fourth loss in six games.

They shot 39.1% from the field – including making just 7 of 23 three-pointers. On a night it was vital for Maxey to produce without Embiid, he had his worst shooting performance of the season.

The Texas native finished with a season-low 16 points on made 7 of 19 shooting - including going 0-for-5 on three-pointers. Maxey also had five rebounds, eight assists and three turnovers.

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And Minnesota’s towering All-Star frontcourt in 7-foot power forward Karl-Anthony Towns and 7-1 center Rudy Gobert dominated. Towns finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Gobert added 13 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks.

But Timberwolves All-Star guard Anthony Edwards was the most-dominant player. He finished with a game-high 31 points while making 5 of 9 three-pointers.

Facing the three All-Stars without Embiid and the travel component after an overtime loss made this game a daunting task.

One has to wonder how things will go when Embiid returns Saturday against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Paycom Center. The Thunder have the West’s second-best record at 11-4. OKC has a young and talented team, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, that appears to be improving every game.

It wouldn’t be surprising if the gritty and carefree Thunder were aware of the Sixers’ scouting report and decided to utilize it.

Maxey’s defense has improved.

With 11 blocks in 15 games, the fourth-year point guard should shatter his personal record of 32 set during the 2021-22 campaign. However, Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton and Cleveland point guard Darius Garland had a lot of success attacking him. On Tuesday, he struggled guarding the pick-and-roll and keeping opponents in front of him. That forced the Sixers to give backup point guard Patrick Beverley extended minutes to stop the bleeding.

Offensively, teams are also trying to be physical with Maxey and focusing on preventing him from going right. That has led to a few inefficient shooting performances for one of the league’s top scorers, who excels going to his strong hand.

Maxey’s next step will come as team’s adjust to his style of play and he makes the proper adjustment to maintain his torrid start. But even when keyed on, it’s hard to stop him, especially in the two-man game with Embiid. Their firepower puts defenses in a tough spot. The Sixers also have shooters on the court with Harris, De’Anthony Melton, and more.

The Sixers blew a golden opportunity to win Tuesday’s game in regulation.

With the score tied at 110, coach Nick Nurse called a timeout with 13.5 seconds remaining. The Sixers got the ball in Embiid’s hand at the top of the key. He took time off the clock before misfiring on a 20-foot pull-up jumper before time expired.

In that instance, Embiid would have been better suited driving in a little more. He could have drawn some contact and gotten to the foul line, where he shot 13-for-16 that night. Embiid also could have gotten Harris open because of the attention he receives when driving the lane.

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Maybe he settled for the jumper because he was worn down from Cleveland’s physicality. And that could’ve also been the reason he ended up missing 10 of his 15 attempts after intermission and had bad body language. And perhaps that fatigue led Embiid to miss five of his seven fourth-quarter shots.

Until he gets in better shape, the Sixers will definitely need to find ways to help their star player. They’ll also get better when Kelly Oubre Jr. returns from a fractured rib.

But for the time being, opponents’ physicality has made it tougher for Embiid to sustain his dominance and has neutralized Maxey’s speed.

The scouting report is out.