Living Without Embiid Has Given Sixers Their Most Valuable Breakthrough

Over the past couple weeks, the 76ers have been learning to live life without Embiid. It’s a life they’ve lived before, every season of Joel Embiid’s career really. But this time around it’s different and it needed to be, because the Sixers front office spent the entire offseason constructing a team that could survive a prolonged Joel Embiid absence. When that reality came crashing down and Jojo’s finger decided it no longer wanted to go the same way as the others, they were ready.

You know in the movies when everything goes to shit and the girlfriend leaves the main character and he already ditched all his friends so he’s at rock bottom, so he does some soul searching? Yeah, that’s the Sixers when Embiid went out of the lineup. And what happens to the main character in those movies? That’s right, an enormous epiphany that will save the day. And what do you know, the Sixers have had theirs.

The Sixers’ epiphany: they’ve found their closing 5.

Through learning to adapt without Embiid by testing different lineups, the Sixers actually found the final 5 that will be out on the floor come playoff crunch time. It’s the lineup they are finishing our games with now but insert Embiid into Al Horford’ stoke. They are going with 4 wings and 1 big. They 4 are Ben Simmons, Matisse Thybulle, Josh Richardson, and Tobias Harris. The 1 big will be Joel Embiid, for now it’s Al Horford.

That lineup has been playing defense like 5 Tasmanian Devils were wound up and set free. During the Sixers 4 game win streak, it hasn’t been pretty at all but they’ve absolutely strangled teams late in the 4th quarter. Seemingly, the uglier the game gets, the more the Sixers thrive. This video has been passed around Twitter quite a bit since MLK Day, but it’s worth watching and most importantly its promising.

Here’s a minute of the Sixers just wreaking absolute havoc in the 4th quarter vs. the Nets. pic.twitter.com/czBKz5teXo

— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) January 20, 2020

Watching the length of this defensive unit is like watching a snake constrict it’s prey. Crazy part is they’ll add a second team all defender into the mix once Embiid takes over for Al. As for Horford, this makes him all the more valuable and the Sixers deeper. He can give Brett Brown quality minutes early in the 4th quarter and bridge the gap to the Final 5 Constrictors.

Matisse Thybulle has had 20 deflections since entering the starting lineup. Ben Simmons is leading the league in steals. Joel Embiid has made 2nd Team All Defense. And none of these accomplishments belong to Josh Richardson, who may be the biggest dawg of them all.

The Sixers aren’t better off without Joel Embiid. But they’ve discovered the lineup that will win playoff games for them once he gets back.