Joel Embiid’s All-Defense Vow Decided the 76ers’ Opening-Night Win Over the Knicks
Embiid said the vow twice — in the locker room and on the record — then suggested the defensive switch that bottled up the Knicks' pick-and-roll.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin went on SportsCenter the day after the opener with something that hadn’t come from the postgame podium. “Embiid had a declaration to make in the locker room after this one,” McMenamin said. “He said, ‘I’m going to get back to being an all-defensive team player.'” It was the second time in hours Joel Embiid had made the vow. To reporters, via ESPN’s Kris Rhim, he had already put it on himself: “I think just we have the talent. I think a lot of it falls on me. I put it on me. If I want to be All-Defense like I used to be, that changes everything for our team. So if I can play that way every single night, which I will, [that] changes everything.”
The summer had sold offense. The trade that brought Jaylen Brown from Boston and the signing of LeBron James stacked four ball-dominant stars into one starting five, and the question of the preseason was whether they could coexist. Opening night suggested they could, through balance: all five starters attempted 10 or more shots and scored nine or more points in a 106-100 win on the Knicks’ ring night at Madison Square Garden.
All three of Embiid’s fouls came in a four-minute span late in the second quarter, with the 76ers trailing 50-46, and Nick Nurse pulled him for Anfernee Simons in a small-ball lineup. It was Embiid, sitting through halftime, who designed the fix. “I had three fouls. I suggested that to the guys, the coaching staff, because I just felt like the way they were calling fouls, I just felt like I wasn’t — and I was just being honest — I wasn’t going to be as aggressive as I should be on defense, having three fouls, wanting to stay on the floor,” he said. “I just told them I thought we should do that. It was great.” His proposal: James onto Karl-Anthony Towns, Embiid onto Josh Hart, with James later sliding to center. The Knicks led 58-54 at the break; the 76ers came out and took the third quarter 29-18, with Tyrese Maxey, Brown and James scoring 20 of those 29. Nurse’s explanation was about the matchup the Knicks had feasted on: “[We discussed putting] a 4-man on KAT, because there’s so many pick-and-rolls with him and [Jalen] Brunson that gives you some versatility to play some other coverages.”
The line Embiid posted on the night reads like the vow in numbers. He shot 4 of 15 and his 13 points were the second-fewest of any starter, yet his plus-13 was the second-best net rating on the team, alongside three blocks and two steals. The Knicks shot 37.2 percent from the field; the 76ers piled up 10 blocks and eight steals and forced 15 turnovers. In the fourth quarter Embiid met Andre Drummond at the rim, blocked the dunk attempt and wagged his index finger at the Garden. “I felt good,” he said afterward. “I think this year’s going to be back to All-Defensive Team like in the past. So, felt good. Moving great. Felt like I was all over the place, so I need to do that every game.”
These Knicks swept the 76ers out of the second round last postseason on the way to the title, and Jalen Brunson had spent that series targeting Embiid in pick-and-roll actions. McMenamin’s report noted the Towns switch bottled up some of New York’s pick-and-pop actions — the same scheme, rerouted. After the game Embiid told Maxey what the night had felt like from inside it, as he recounted to ESPN’s Kris Rhim: “I told Tyrese after the game, we’ve been going against these guys for the last couple years, but tonight felt a little different than the past.”
Embiid told PHLY Sports that the biggest upgrade in swapping Paul George for James was defensive: “Another big body that’s able to guard the post. PJ Tucker was the last one we had that could do that, that can switch off and guard those bigger guys in the post. Last year we had PG, but PG, he did a great job, but he’s a little light. Having ‘Bron, we did that in the Olympics. We’ve done that in the past.” Brian Windhorst put the cost of it on ESPN: “LeBron has literally hated playing defensive center for decades, but he believes in this team.”
Reserve center Ariel Hukporti is out for the season after tearing his Achilles in his preseason debut, leaving the 76ers thin behind Embiid. They finished last season 16th in defensive efficiency.
