default-cbs-image

After making his preseason debut Wednesday night against the Brooklyn Nets, Joel Embiid was back on the floor Friday for the Philadelphia 76ers' matchup with the Miami Heat. It wasn't the best performance ever from Embiid, but Ben Simmons had an impressive night to lead the Sixers to a 119-95 victory. Here are a few quick takeaways.

Joel Embiid and Hassan Whiteside were going AT it

Preseason game? What preseason game. The two starting centers were not taking things easy on Friday night in Kansas City, instead going head-to-head with plenty of intensity in the opening minutes. Embiid had a marvelous chase-down block on Whiteside in the first minute, and a few possessions later Whiteside stuffed Embiid's jumper. A few minutes into the game, after Embiid had drawn a third foul on Whiteside, the Sixers big man motioned to the Heat bench telling them to take Whiteside out of the game because he couldn't guard him.

Embiid is not perfect ...

Let's get this out of the way: Embiid is going to be awesome. We saw it last season, and we saw it the other night during his first preseason appearance. However, despite what Twitter dot com might say, he's not perfect. It's not always going to be smooth sailing for the big man, especially in the first few weeks as he works his way back from this knee injury. He went just 1-for-7 from the field, forced some unnecessary threes, and at times seemed to float toward the ball trying to get a touch if it didn't come his way for a few possessions.

... But he's always affecting the game when on the floor

While Embiid struggled shooting the ball, he was still making a positive impact, and in ways that won't always show up on the box score.

  • In the first five minutes, Embiid drew five fouls on the Heat, including three on Whiteside, forcing him out of the game.

  • Early in the first quarter he executed a dribble hand-off with Jerryd Bayless that led to a wide open three that Bayless knocked down. He's so big -- seriously, if you don't watch him for a while you forget just how huge he is -- that dribble hand-offs like this are going to be a nightmare for teams to defend.

  • On the defensive end, Embiid is always affecting opponents' shots, even if he doesn't get a block. Sometimes it's because they alter a look, as the Heat did multiple times, but there will also be times when opponents don't even bother going up just because he's around.

James Johnson is so underrated

The versatile Heat forward had a career year last season, and was rewarded in the summer with a four-year, $60 million contract. That might have raised some eyebrows from casual fans, but make no mistake, Johnson can play. Against the Sixers, he proved it, coming off the bench, to finish with 13 points on 4-8 shooting, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, and 1 steal in just 18 minutes. Don't forget about Johnson this season.

J.J. Redick shows his worth

Redick showed Friday night why the Sixers were so keen to bring him to Philadelphia this summer. The veteran sharpshooter knocked down five of six 3-point attempts on his way to 19 points. For a team that finished 25th in the league last season in 3-point percentage, hitting just 34 percent of their attempts, Redick is going to be a big-time addition. Along with the threes he actually knocks down, he'll draw plenty of attention from opposing defenses, opening more room for the likes of Embiid and Simmons.

Speaking of Simmons

The Australian was in fine form against the Heat, finishing with 19 points on 9-11 from the field, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. He still doesn't have a jumper, but because of his size and ability to get out in transition, there are going to be games where he gets a ton of easy buckets. Friday night was one of those games. Also, check out this slick no-look pass. Simmons is going to be so much fun.

Hey, this was fun from Bam Adebayo

The Heat picked Adebayo at No. 14 overall in the draft this summer, and the early reviews from his teammates and coaches have been positive, with coach Erik Spoelstra saying recently, "He's picking up things quickly." Adebayo, who figures to slot in behind Whiteside as the team's backup center, had a solid night against the Sixers, going for 13 points and 9 rebounds. He also had a fun moment in the fourth quarter, bringing the ball up the floor, crossing over, and hitting a pull-up jumper.