Even with teammates misfiring, Embiid determined to keep dishing, trusting

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“Trust” was a popular word postgame Saturday night in Brooklyn for the Sixers and for their star center nicknamed “The Process.” 

Joel Embiid concluded the Sixers’ back-to-back set against the Knicks and Nets with 72 points on 26-for-36 shooting, but that’s not what head coach Doc Rivers wanted to highlight following the Sixers’ ultra-tight win in Brooklyn. 

“You know, Jo had 37 points and that’s what everyone will focus on,” Rivers said. “I’m focusing on his passing when guys were not making shots and trusting it. He just kept doing it. And that’s basically what we said after the game: You’ve still got to make the right play.

“Nine times out of 10, our guys will make those shots. Tonight, Georges (Niang) couldn’t make it, Tobias (Harris) can’t make it, (De’Anthony Melton) couldn’t make it. But he kept trusting, and that’s huge for our team moving forward.”

Tyrese Maxey had also lauded Embiid for consistently hitting open teammates after Friday’s victory over the Knicks, although Maxey noted that Embiid wasn’t exactly thrilled with the Sixers’ shooting of late. 

“He told us on the plane on the trip back (from Boston) that we’ve got to make shots,” Maxey said. “It’s as simple as that. And that’s what leaders do. For him to keep trusting us and passing the ball, I think that’s big-time growth from him. He still was Joel at the end of the game, got his buckets when he needed to, and he hit open guys when he needed to. That’s leadership, and we appreciate him for that.”

On Saturday, the Sixers’ three starters besides Embiid and James Harden went 2 for 14 from the floor overall.

What compels Embiid to keep some degree of faith even in those circumstances? 

“Like I always say, you can’t win 1-on-5. … I joked around with them after the game. This has happened a couple of nights, but based on last night, I should’ve probably had at least 10 assists each game,” Embiid said with a smile. “But got to keep trusting them, especially with the way teams double me — especially coming on the pass every single possession. You’ve just got to keep trusting them, and I feel like I’ve been making the right plays over and over. 

“It’s going to pay off at some point. There’s going to be one night where we get hot and guys just keep hitting shots, whether it’s Tyrese, James, Tobias, Georges, D-Melt. … So I’ve just got to keep trusting them and make sure that they feel good about getting the ball and getting those shots. It’s only going to make my job easier. If I can trust them and they can make those shots, then it becomes hard to double. If you’ve got to play me 1-on-1, good luck.”

The “at least 10 assists each game” comment is obviously a comedic exaggeration, but Embiid did officially have 17 potential assists in the back-to-back. He posted six actual assists Friday and just two in Brooklyn. However, the Sixers have often rewarded Embiid this season for feeding the open man. They’ve shot 102 for 244 (41.8 percent) from three-point range off of his passes, per NBA.com/Stats. 

On nights like Saturday when many “right plays” don’t coincide with great results, Rivers wants Embiid to stay the course. But as a coach, it doesn’t make sense to stubbornly ride out something that’s ineffective. Against Brooklyn, Rivers continued to start De’Anthony Melton but played Maxey much more for the second consecutive game. And just as he’d done in Boston, Rivers put Harris on the bench for some important fourth-quarter minutes. 

The Harden-Embiid duo scored the Sixers’ final 12 points, including Embiid’s two go-ahead foul shots with 5.2 seconds left, and the team gutted out another comeback win. 

“Well, we have different guys … and so we kept changing. We took Tobias out, which we never do, and put Georges in — because it was the weak-side corner,” Rivers said. “We knew the way they were going to trap; we were going to get the weak-side corner. We put Tyrese there, which we never do. We put him there to drive, and get back in the paint and create a shot.

“It was one of those games, from a coaching point, you’re just searching. You’re searching for someone. Legs may have been heavy from last night’s game. Last night’s game was a hard game. We’ve got a lot of guys that you can do that with, and I think that’s going to serve us (well) down the stretch and in the playoffs.”

As for Embiid, he admitted Saturday that he “used to get frustrated a lot” when teammates would miss good looks. He sounds like he’s gained greater clarity on how to best approach the game, and that trust has become foundational. 

“Passing is not that hard,” he said. “You’ve just got to be a willing passer. I think I’ve become more of a willing passer because I would say in the past, if we missed a shot or two, then I’d be like, ‘All right, we’re not going to make shots. Then I’ve got to go do it by myself.’

“And sometimes you might have to, but in those situations, over time and just with experience, just understanding that as long as I can make my teammates feel better about themselves and they’re touching the ball, it’s going to make me better.”

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