The Athletic: Joel Embiid is adjusting to a new basketball reality

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PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid went quickly off the dribble. He left his defenders in the dust.

The move, made in the Philadelphia 76ers’ Sunday night’s defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers, was eye-opening because it’s the kind of explosive first step that has evaded him for much of this season. The star center gained separation from his defender in one dribble, looked up and found himself with an uncontested dunk. Instead, Embiid laid the ball up with his left hand.

It rimmed out. The Lakers got the rebound and went the other way. Embiid, staring at the hoop in disbelief, threw his hands into the air in frustration.

“Every shot felt like it was right there,” Embiid said Sunday night. “I think it all comes down to just getting back into a rhythm.”

This is Embiid’s new reality. Not that he’s washed offensively by any means after last year’s left knee surgery, but that he’s a superstar who has lost some of the athleticism and burst off the dribble that made him special. In the past, had Embiid beaten his man off the dribble and gotten to the rim that easily, he would have torn it down, celebrated with the Philly crowd and run back down the floor smiling.

But as the injuries have multiplied and his age has increased, this season has revealed that Embiid, 31, is not quite as bouncy. He’s not quite as vertically explosive. He’s not quite as quick on his feet.

As he continues to work his way into full health, he’s averaging 18.2 points in 25.1 minutes per game. He’s shooting a touch under 41 percent from the field and 21.4 percent from 3-point range, and he’s not rebounding or getting to the free-throw line as much as we are used to seeing. Such numbers would understandably cause some to think Embiid’s game is entering a dramatic decline.

Watching him tells a different story. The telltale sign of a player nearing the point of no longer being dynamic revolves around the ability — or inability — to get to spots. Embiid, when he’s been in the lineup, can still do that. He’s still getting to where he wants on the floor. He’s still getting the quality shots that he’s used to. He’s still creating quality shots for others.

It’s why his numbers against the Lakers told wildly differing tales. On one hand, Embiid was 4-of-21 from the field, missing open look after open look after wide open look. It became clear as the game progressed that he was pressing, and that some of the misses were affecting him mentally. When he knocked home a midrange, baseline jumper late in the fourth quarter, he raised his arms to the heavens, as if to say, “finally.”

But a deeper look at the box score showed the Sixers were plus-11 when Embiid was on the floor. Why was that? In large part because his pick-and-roll work with Tyrese Maxey and other Sixers guards opened huge driving lanes and easy opportunities for his teammates. Embiid remained aggressive despite all the misses and got to the free-throw line efficiently. And when he was clogging up driving lanes on the other end of the floor, the Sixers were able to garner stops.

It remains to be seen if Embiid is still a superstar or if he has regressed into merely a good player. For the Sixers to do any damage this season, they obviously need him to be available.

But they also need Embiid to still be Embiid.

Joel Embiid hasn’t been able to maintain a routine this season, but remains an elite offensive player.

“I’m not playing every day, and I think that’s hard,” Embiid said. “It’s hard just being in and out of the lineup. But that’s where we are and that’s what I have to do.”

That’s a salient point. NBA players are creatures of repetition and routine over 82 games. There are practice reps and thousands of shots on off days. There are workouts before and after games. There are weights and recovery. But Embiid’s routine hasn’t been the same since the night nearly two years ago that he injured his knee against the Golden State Warriors.

To protect the health of his knee, the 76ers want him to have two days off in between games, which means playing even two games in three nights at this point is impossible, never mind playing in back-to-backs. And he’ll have to make more jumpers with his lift and athleticism diminished.

Embiid is still incredibly skilled at three levels and has proven capable of being an offensive engine. If he’s aggressive, and he and Maxey get cooking at the same time, Philadelphia can do some damage in a wide-open Eastern Conference.

“That’s why the game is percentages,” Sixers forward Paul George said. “Nobody is making 100 percent of their shots. And, very rarely, is anyone missing 100 percent of their shots. It’s just part of the game. These are the shots that we want Joel to take. These are the shots that I’m sure he’s comfortable with. We know they are going to fall.”

From Michael Jordan on down, every megastar to grace the basketball world has had to deal with a downtick in athleticism. They adjusted. Embiid’s skill level allows him to remain an elite offensive player. And because Maxey has truly broken out this season, Embiid doesn’t have to carry the franchise any longer.

When he talks, you can feel the angst in his voice. He wants to play regularly and consistently. He wants to be on the floor with his teammates. And he wants to affect winning. Will his body allow him to do that? Embiid said he’s felt good of late and that his knees have been responding well. It’s given him hope that he can try to ramp up his minutes.

“I think it’s all about getting into that rhythm and playing every other day,” Embiid said. “I think we’re getting there. The plan of playing and then two days off is working pretty well. Hopefully, that keeps going and we can start doing it every other day. But, I’m feeling pretty good.”

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