With a new hairstyle and stains of rust, Embiid is back...

After waiting 29 games and dropping from fourth to eighth in the East with a win rate of less than 38%, the 76ers finally waited for their big savior, Embiid, who returned from injury.

From the perspective of human nature, the NBA's new "65-game rule" is quite the ingenuity of Kobe Bryant's "contract year star". Stars must play 65 games to be eligible for the awards, and one more award is an extra income and fame — Leonard is set to set a new career high, Haliburton is willing to fight with an injury for a potential $40 million incentive, and for Embiid, the MVP is an important bargaining chip to get out of the shadow of the fat man.

This obsession led him to make a comeback at the end of January, but the results speak for themselves. Against the Warriors, he made 5 of 18 shots, 8 turnovers and 5 fouls, and hung up the exemption card directly after playing, completely losing the prestige of scoring 70 points above the head of Wesban, a few days ago, and the team's prospects are rapidly dim. Fortunately, after his comeback, Embiid is like Kumachi who has lost his martial arts, no longer obsessed with honor, but can focus on more important goals: "I paid some mental price for my return tonight, even if it is my current level, we have a chance to win the championship, not to mention that I will only get better and better." ”

This is a realistic version of "your emperor is back", as soon as Embiid comes, Philadelphia will be peaceful, and there will be a blue sky. He hit an Anthony-style pull-up with a two-man shot on the first ball, scoring 24 points on 14-shot shooting and a team-high seven assists in 29 minutes, almost draining Lowry's playmaking attributes and becoming more and more on par with his old rival Jokic.

Although Nurse said that "Embiid will need some adjustment, it will take a week or two or a couple of weeks to get used to." Although the opposite Thunder is missing the two main players of SGA and Jalen Williams, judging from his performance of hitting all 12 free throws and breaking Giddey at the last moment, Embiid's comeback can be described as immediate, and the basic handicap has not been lost.

In addition, Embiid's bonuses to teammates are also visible to the naked eye. Without Harden and Maxey, without Maxey, he can only push Lowry and Payne to the first line, but as long as Embiid, who enjoys the treatment of pinch shots as soon as he gets the ball, the 76ers' offense will not be too sluggish.

What's more, Embiid himself is also improving, in addition to the still terrifying low-post threat, he has almost honed the mid-range shot to the extreme. It is said that he is Anthony on the inside, but even if he is a peak melon, he does not shoot nearly fifty percent of the mid-range crosshairs like Embiid today.

So far this season, Embiid has shot 45 percent from the field and has a two-point efficiency from mid-to-long range that is almost on par with Nowitzki at his peak (it's a bit incredible, but you can crudely think of Embiid this season as an enhanced version of Nowitzki with his rim-and-foul ability). And his shooting is much more streamlined, often taking two steps to try the ball and shoot directly, which is good for him personally and the rhythm of the whole team.

If Embiid was not very accustomed to blocking and cutting inside, or like Leonard, blocking and picking was to play better singles, then now he has also changed his mind and began to go to the basket more, whether it is catching and shooting on the way down or directly rushing to the frame, it is in line with the current version of the new style of play of the center.

Of course, there's another new way of playing for the new version of the center — Jokic.

That's exactly what the 76ers and Embiid have been trying, and his assists have been rising year over year, finally skyrocketing to 5.7 per game this year with Harden's departure. The 76ers have completely transformed and put a whole set of offensive systems on Embiid, and Embiid is also moving closer to Mr. Yoo with integrity. Orchestrate offenses at the top of the arc, pass to teammates who block cuts, and use your defensive gravity to find assists.

"Embiid's return has put a lot of pressure on the opponent, and I'll be able to play my own ball. Oubre, who scored 25 points on 16-shot, said.

Considering Embiid's more comprehensive offensive approach and more accurate shooting, it would be a waste of resources to simply let him play to the basket, and it would be better for him to attract tons of defense on the perimeter, which would be good for Maxey, Lowry, Oubre and Harris, who have the physicality, speed, and projection.

If you really don't have a chance, then use 52% of the long two-point crosshairs to pull one.

What makes the 76ers even more confident is that Embiid's ability to play the ball in the face of pinch shots is getting better and better, even if he is put on the sideline by a double face, he can still protect the ball, find Batum who cuts inside in time, and accurately deliver the ball to his teammates. While not as imaginative and forward-looking as Jokic, and although he still contributed six turnovers in this game, as long as Embiid returns to his pre-injury level, his shooting level is enough to sustain the team's offense.

This is also a new chemical reaction that Embiid and Maxi have run-in. Embiid holds the ball at the top of the arc, Maxey runs without the ball, Maxey instigates the pick-and-roll, Embiid catches the ball and finishes. Although Maxey can't support enough main offensive tasks, his ability to combine with and without the ball is just right for Embiid, who is transforming into a super core.

"He's changed the way the 76ers play, and as long as Embiid is on the floor, they're playing very differently. The Thunder coach's correct nonsense just confirms Embiid's unmatched importance to the team.

On the other hand, Embiid's own vitality attribute is also intimate. Three days ago, Shams broke the news that Embiid was about to return, but two days ago, the reporter with the team said that he would not play, and it was not until the day of the game that the 76ers urgently upgraded Embiid to "can play" as if they suddenly remembered.

Back in February, Embiid stepped back after feintifying on the day of the game against the Nuggets, and the team didn't put him on the injury list until 15 minutes before the start of the game, and the league fined the team $75,000. This time, Embiid's sideways jump from side to side has made Popeye, who likes spinach, miserable, and the league will come out to investigate, and I don't know how many meters the 76ers will have to dig out.

But it's better to have a job than to bite a lighter, not to mention that this season alone, Embiid can fully match Jokic. They all have the ability to change the game, the team, and even the division, and with Embiid's return, the 76ers, who are still struggling in the play-in area, are back in the championship in an instant. Even if they are likely to be dragged into the play-offs, even if they may face the Celtics with the highest ceiling and the Bucks with the highest ceiling in the first round, they have the strength to fight.

The current 76ers really confirm the famous adage that as long as Embiid goes on offense, everything will be fine.