The Sixers lost to the Knicks by 12 on Tuesday night, the unofficial start of the season with Joel Embiid finally on the floor. He looked rustier than a bucket of nails in the Amazon rainforest, lowlighted perhaps by a third quarter screen on Paul George that resulted in a dunk on the other end:

Embiid finished with 13 points on 2-11 shooting. He added five assists, three rebounds, one block, and two turnovers in 26 minutes. Almost half of his field goal attempts came from the three point line and he looked like he hadn’t played basketball, since, well, the Olympics.

“I felt okay,” Embiid said after the game. “The first five minutes were rough, but I guess that’s what happens when you have not played in a while. I thought after that I should not be rusty, but that’s expected. I thought overall (I) felt pretty good, you know, health-wise. I think it is just about trusting myself. I thought I was a little timid, but as the game goes, just getting back to myself will be easier.”

Shooting aside, Embiid looked okay on the defensive end. He seemed to be moving well enough with the knee brace on. He had a textbook swat in the first half and you saw some glimpses of what kind of defensive team this can be with himself, Paul George, and some more athletic perimeter players out there. Caleb Martin makes the Jalen Brunson experience a lot more tolerable.

“We will be fine,” Embiid added. “I think it’s all about everybody getting on the same page. Like I said, right now I am still trying to figure out the best way to help. I came into the season really wanting to let everybody just play and making sure everybody gets open, but at the end of the day, I can also adjust. If I have to do what I did last year, then I am going to do it. I think it is about us getting on the floor together, letting us play with each other, but health is a big thing. I am back, (Paul George) is feeling pretty good, we need to get Tyrese back, and once we are all on the floor, I think we will have a pretty good chance to win some games.


No columnists were shoved in the locker room after the NBA Cup loss. Will the Sixers ever lift the Cup? Not this year, it seems. They are 2-8 to begin the season, Embiid has played one game, and Maxey is injured. George did play well, scoring 29 points on 10-19 shooting. He’s starting to settle in, and Jared McCain, who appears to be a baller, poured in 23 off the bench. Those are a couple of bright spots right now. Guerschon Yabusele had a poor shooting night but otherwise has been quality to start the year. You see little bits and pieces of what this group can be if they can put it together. They’re 10 games in, about 12% of the way through the season, so it’s time to get this thing going.