After returning from illness, Joel Embiid aims to recapture MVP-caliber form for Sixers

Joel Embiid got the ball from Tyrese Maxey at the top of the key, dribbled once to his left, and pulled up over Deandre Ayton.

That jumper on the 76ers’ first possession Monday night against the Phoenix Suns signaled Embiid was officially back from a non-COVID-19 illness that kept him out of the previous three games and made his body feel “shut down.” The All-NBA center finished with 33 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists in a 100-88 victory that was the Sixers’ best of the early season. Embiid’s next task is to work his way back to his MVP-contender self, especially as the Sixers continue to navigate life on the court without All-Star point guard James Harden.

» READ MORE: Georges Niang rains three-pointers as Sixers stun the Suns

“It’s probably going to take a while, because it really hit me,” Embiid said of of the sickness that is ripping through the team’s players and staff. “But I’m excited for the challenge. We’re going to need every single [player] to be able to hold down the fort without James.”

Sunday’s Sixers practice offered a glimpse at what days between games will look like for Embiid, who around this time last year was dealing with a significant COVID case. He played three-on-three with player development coaches for about 25 minutes after the team session, then lay on the floor for several minutes following the extra work.

Each day, Embiid plans to “keep pushing … to try to do a little more” to boost his conditioning. Yet he said there is no substitution for playing game minutes.

Coach Doc Rivers continued to use a modified rotation pattern with Embiid, which was in place before his illness due to plantar fasciitis that limited his conditioning in the lead-up to training camp. Against the Suns, though, Rivers asked Embiid to “signal” when he was tired, and get up from the bench when he felt refreshed.

That resulted in breaks during each quarter. The shortest, however, came in the final period, when the Suns had cut what was once a 19-point Sixers lead to single digits with less than seven minutes to play. On the Sixers’ first possession after checking back in, Embiid buried a tough pull-up jumper to push that lead back to 11 points, and it only grew in the final minutes.

Even before his illness, Embiid’s early play did not match his lofty standards (though, he quipped a “slow start” still meant averaging 27.2 points per game on 53.2% shooting). The eye test showed choppy play — and occasional visibly fatigued body language — as he and the Sixers reestablished roles with core members Harden, Maxey, and Tobias Harris and a host of new role players.

Against the Suns, Embiid was not pleased with his 8-of-21 mark from the floor. But he did go 16-of-16 from the free-throw line — the most makes without a miss of his career — by consistently attacking on rolls to the basket “and if the whistle blows, good. And if it doesn’t, try to finish over contact.”

Embiid was less of a screener than when Harden handles the ball, and more of a playmaker after drawing defenders to him in the middle of the floor (he averaged a career-high 4.2 assists per game last season). That helped reserve forward Georges Niang tie a career high with seven three-pointers on 10 attempts, most of them wide-open. Embiid also called plays specifically for Harris, who finished with 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists.

“He was in my ear to keep going down there,” Harris said, “and going to work and go to the free-throw line and create some easy baskets. A lot of plays, he was calling my number and making sure the ball got there.”

Added Niang: “After I made a couple, yeah, I was a little surprised I was getting that many clean looks. But their game plan was to slow down Joel.”

Embiid also said he did not switch as much defensively against the Suns, instead mixing in blitzing All-Star guard Devin Booker and dropping back to protect the rim. The result: Helping the Sixers limit to 88 points a Suns team that ranks eighth in offensive rating at 114.3 points per 100 possessions.

» READ MORE: James Harden away from Sixers to attend to family matter, recover from foot strain

Embiid joked that, because the Phillies’ magical World Series run is now over, the Sixers’ first game that counted was Monday’s victory. They are in the middle of a strange stretch of the schedule, with two days off before Thursday’s game at Atlanta, before a home back-to-back against the Hawks and Utah Jazz, before four days off next week.

And without Harden, Embiid knows the Sixers will rely on him for a bit more of “everything” for the foreseeable future.

“That’s how it should have been,” Embiid said. “Just drawing so much attention and making the simple plays and getting my teammates wide-open shots. ... I just adapt and I just do whatever it takes to win.”