Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid was not shy about how uncomfortable he felt in his team’s offense last year. As the big man did not have much space to work with him during the season, he became awkward and did not play as expected.
He reached the point where Embiid practically threw the old Sixers front office under the bus. While building a strong relationship on the court with JJ Redick who was the 76ers sharpshooter over two seasons, Embiid was disappointed that his old guard didn’t share the floor with him last season as the front office to Redick walking.
“You can see by the numbers, it was just a big difference,” Embiid said over the summer while talking about playing with Redick. “You know last year when they were doubling down on me, I was either inviting him, or I was like‘ Okay, I’m not going to post out anymore, and i’m just going for that two game. [with Redick], ‘because I know I’ll get a bullet for you. And once you do two or three, they’re going to come up, and that’ll change everything, and leave me open. “
Knowing that any team plays an important role and that Embiid is the player the 76ers need to pick around and keep happy, Philly’s revamped head office went out and found Embiid the next JJ Redick in Seth Curry. While Curry just doesn’t compare himself to Redick, he understands the comparisons and has shown a willingness to study the history of the Sixers to get the two-man game down with Embiid.
So far, both Embiid and Curry are off to a good start as they both helped lead the Sixers to 3-1. During their last matchup against the Toronto Raptors, however, we saw a big shift in their chemistry. Late in the game, as Embiid got the ball down low and attracted the attention of almost all five Raptors on the floor, the Sixers center got a pass to Seth Curry, who was wide open, his gift. three, helping the Sixers put the nail in the chest against Toronto in the 100-93 victory.
“It feels good,” Curry said after winning his chemistry on the court with Embiid. “It’s natural when you have a big one that sets up good screens first, but then it can pop, and it can roll. He can catch lobs, he can do it all. We’re just seeing it as we go along, and it’s good to do some clutch play the first game of the year and tonight while we figure out our lack of end-of-game . ”
The duo isn’t perfect yet, but Embiid knows it will take time as there is still a long way to go this year. “We’re still learning,” said the All-Star Center. “I didn’t expect to come in and just the same chemistry as JJ. It’s going to take time. We had a few minutes where he tried to pick on my boyfriend, just like I used to do with JJ. So we get there, but I had to open up to it. ”
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_