As Joel Embiid and Paul George near returns, Sixers still searching for ways to manufacture wins

Nick Nurse called Friday a “normal day at the office” — finally.

Joel Embiid and Paul George were full participants in the 76ers’ practice, including five-on-five scrimmaging. But neither injured All-Star will play in Saturday’s home matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies, both players said during unexpected media sessions, before their team begins a three-game Western Conference road trip on Monday at the Phoenix Suns.

That means Nurse and the Sixers will shift back to immediate game-plan focus during Saturday morning’s shootaround. It’s all part of their ongoing balancing act to implement those stars into a new-look roster, while trying to identify ways to manufacture wins without them following a disappointing 1-3 start.

A commonly uttered phrase since the preseason is that the Sixers are still “figuring it out,” with these significant injuries plus eight new players. That begins on the offensive end, where they entered Friday ranked 26th out of 30 NBA teams in efficiency (106.5 points per 100 possessions) and 28th in field-goal percentage (41.3) through four games.

» READ MORE: Joel Embiid, Paul George are full participants at Sixers practice, but will remain out vs. Grizzlies

Nurse acknowledges the coaching staff must “conjure” ways to score easier. The coach wants to create even more transition buckets, considering the Sixers entered Friday ranked second in the NBA in forced turnovers (19.5 per game) but 24th in fastbreak points (11 per game). And second-chance points, after the Sixers scored 25 off 20 offensive rebounds during Sunday’s win at the Indiana Pacers but had just 10 off eight offensive boards against the Detroit Pistons. And in “second actions,” noting his team has “been a little stand around-y” when the defense stops an offensive set’s initial option.

And even though Tyrese Maxey has shouldered a significant load during an early season that began with a brutal shooting slump, Nurse wants to make the All-Star point guard an even greater threat to pull up or drive as soon as he crosses half-court.

“You know certain players in the league I’m talking about,” Nurse said, alluding to players such as Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, or Trae Young. “When they cross, your defense better be picking them up and you better [be] ready. Because screens are coming, and when they get off it, more screens are coming.

“I think that’s kind of the mode I’m in right now, because we’re trying to figure out how to score. And sometimes, [Maxey] scoring in transition is a really good offense when we’re grinding a little bit.”

While rewatching Wednesday’s dreadful loss to the winless and rebuilding Pistons, Nurse also said those offensive frustrations cannot cause the Sixers to “chip away” at the strengths they still possess while shorthanded. Forward Caleb Martin concurred after that game, saying the “even bigger point of emphasis has got to be the effort that we’re giving.”

“One thing we can’t be ‘figuring out’ is how hard we’re playing every night,” Martin said. “... And we all have to take our own accountability to make sure that we bring that next game.”

The absences of Embiid and George have also forced Nurse into rotation experimentation, which could impact lineup combinations once they return.

» READ MORE: Sixers absentee Joel Embiid fibs in his own defense and has a gold-medal deflection

Nurse said Friday that exact roles are still a work in progress for Martin, who has had more play-initiating responsibility put on his plate, and Guerschon Yabusele, who has needed to play more backup center with Embiid out. Nurse wants to keep the minutes for veteran guards Kyle Lowry and Eric Gordon, who have both started and come off the bench in the first four games, in the range of 15 and 20. He believes rookie guard Jared McCain is “still in our plans,” praising his “air of confidence” while getting to the rim perhaps more than expected. And Nurse eventually wants to try putting Embiid and fellow big-bodied center Andre Drummond on the floor together, saying they used that look during Friday’s scrimmage work.

“He really does some unique things,” Nurse said of Drummond, “that I just don’t think we can have him over there not playing huge segments of the game.”

When Nurse opened Friday with a pre-practice film session, he said George asked questions and Embiid piped in with answers. On the floor, Nurse then purposefully called plays for those two standouts — such as pick-and-rolls, pin-downs, and post feeds and cuts — to allow them to gain more reps together and with teammates.

“I’ve been engaged throughout this whole process,” George said. “So I don’t feel like I’m behind on anything. I’ve been keeping up with play-calling and where I should be and watching multiple spots, so when I am ready to go, I can hit the ground running.”

But that won’t happen for George on Saturday. Instead, the Sixers will shift from a normal day at the office back to trying to figure out how to manufacture victories without their stars.

It is their balancing act until Embiid and George make their season debuts.

“The margin of error is so slim to none,” Maxey said late Wednesday. “We can’t have empty possessions. We can’t have possessions where we don’t know what we’re doing. We can’t have lapses on defense with those two guys out.

“That’s just the nature of it. That’s the life of it.”