NEW YORK -- The Philadelphia 76ers won their 10th game of the season, and Joel Embiid is already talking playoffs. After their 105-95 victory against the Brooklyn Nets, their third in four games, Embiid said that the 76ers are "really figuring things out" and "starting to learn how to win games." At 10-25, they are 13th in the Eastern Conference and 7.5 games back of eighth place.
"I think we improved a lot," Embiid said. "You know, we've been playing great basketball. We've been winning games. I don't know, we're like seven or eight games out of the playoffs, so we have a chance. We're learning. We're growing together, learning how to play with each other. It's just going great now."
The rookie center said he looks at the standings and considers the playoffs "a goal." Nobody has said this sort of thing in Philadelphia for a few years, at least not seriously -- last season's team won 10 games the entire campaign. Embiid's presence, however, has changed everything. He is averaging 19.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.4 blocks in only 25 minutes. Not only is he the runaway favorite for Rookie of the Year, he has an outside shot of making the All-Star Game.
In less than three months, Embiid has made significant strides. His line against the Nets -- 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting, plus five rebounds, four assists and two blocks -- doesn't even stand out anymore, but his improved awareness and passing does. Midway through the fourth quarter, he made a simple pass out of a postup for a Dario Saric 3-pointer that gave the Sixers a five-point lead. When coach Brett Brown brought it up, he sounded as proud as possible.
"He needs [to be] and is a willing passer," Brown said. "He needs to quarterback the gym. They are coming to double-team him. It's no mystery, they're coming to double-team you. And so the four spots and the position that we put the other four guys is crucial. Something as simple as getting Joel Embiid the ball and not cutting time and then him throwing it back out to Dario Saric willingly for that big 3. I thought that was the game. That was a big pass."
After a poor start in Brooklyn, Philadelphia started the third quarter on a 13-0 run. This allowed the team to enter the fourth quarter with a lead for the seventh consecutive game. Brown said the Sixers are starting to play team defense the way they want to, and they're finally finding rhythm and consistency. Some of this has to do with Nerlens Noel backing up Embiid and giving Philadelphia a full game's worth of rim protection. Unlike Embiid, though, Brown isn't getting ahead of himself.
"We are winning basketball games more frequently than we have been," Brown said. "But for us, it's still, like, how are we doing what we do? Are we doing our job? Are we not skipping steps? Are we putting in good days? And we believe, as simple as that might sound, that they do add up, that they will count for something."
