Motion, Spacing and Passing: How Joel Embiid Could Have a Career Year

After Tuesday morning's blockbuster trade that sent James Harden to the Clippers, it seems that the Philadelphia 76ers did not believe Harden would willingly adapt to the new system around Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. This trade clears the runway for Maxey to actualize his full potential with the 76ers, and allows Coach Nick Nurse to innovate in ways we have not seen with Embiid. Utilizing all of the basketball court's real estate, Nurse is changing the 76ers' offense to maximize both Embiid and Maxey to make a title run. Let's take a look at how using motion and the three-point line can maximize the NBA's best players.

The Three-Pont Era: A Brief History

If we rewind the clock back to 2017-18, the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets were dominating NBA defenses with the three-point line, but in two polar opposite approaches. In the Bay Area, the Warriors made frequent trips to Cleveland, winning two out of three NBA championships. This dynastic run was built off of Steve Kerr's pace and space offense that unleashed Steph Curry. The Warriors' offense relied on player movement and three-point shooting to open up lanes to the basket, and these lanes became wider and wider when Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant were all on the floor. Looking at play-type data, we can see what made the 2018 Warriors such a dynamic offense outside of their talent:

• Offensive Rating: 112.8 (third)

• True Shooting Percentage: 60% (second)

• 3PA: 28.9 (17th)

• AST%: 68.5 (first)

• ISO FREQ%: 6.4 (17th)

• Cuts: 13.4 possessions (first)

• Cuts PPP: 1.34 (third)

• Offscreen: 12.9 possessions (first)

• Offscreen PPP: 1.13 (first)

• Passes made: 322.7 (fourth)

• Assists and Assists Adjusted: 29.3 (first) and 35.3 (first)

The warriors emphasized ball movement, spacing and motion. This offensive style allowed their players to achieve individual success (Curry and Durant All-NBA selections) while also galvanizing one of the league's top offenses. Spacing and movement opened the floor for the Warriors' top players to exploit weaknesses in the opposing defenses. On the other end of the spectrum was a bearded man single-handedly powering the league's most efficient offense.

James Harden was named MVP in 2018 after averaging 30 points and eight assists on 61.9% true shooting (11 percent better than the league average). Unlike Golden State, the Rockets found the most efficient way to play offense was to let Harden either score or assist on a bucket. If the 2018 season existed in a vacuum, the Warriors and the Rockets would represent the two poles of the metaphorical vacuum. Golden State's motion principles stood in stark contrast to Houston's heavy isolation play. A look at the Rockets' play-type data from that season lets us see just how different the two teams' playstyles were:

• Offensive Rating: 114.1 (first)

• TS%: 59 (second)

• 3PA: 42.3 (first)

• AST%: 55.7 (22nd)

• ISO FREQ%: 14.5 (first)

• ISO PPP: 1.12 (first)

• DHO: 3.3 possessions (29th)

• Cuts: 5.8 possessions (30th)

• Cuts PPP: 1.21 (24th)

• Offscreen: 4.8 possessions (22nd)

• Offscreen PPP: 1.01 (12th)

• Passes made: 254.3 (29th)

• Assists and Adjusted assists: 21.5 (26th) and 25 (25th)

James Harden was the offensive engine of Houston, and during the regular season, the team continually relied on him to score and pass to open three-point shooters. Almost like a cheat code, the Rockets had weaponized Harden's on-ball scoring to become the league's most prolific offense.

Both Golden State and Houston used the three-point line but in very different ways. While Houston hunted threes and layups, Golden State used the three-point line as a threat to open up the lane. The Warriors' motion caused defensive confusion and whatever the defense failed to cover is what the Warriors took advantage of. Harden was Houston's offense. Teams could try to stop him one-on-one, but once they overreacted on a drive, The Beard whizzed a pass to an open corner three from PJ Tucker.

While both teams were highly efficient, one method seemed to translate better once the playoffs came around.

Why You Shouldn't Just Stand Around

James Harden blitzed the league during the regular season with his overwhelming scoring abilities in 2018. Teams were at his mercy as he sized them up for either a step back or a quick blowby for an and-one layup. And Harden had individual playoff success that year, averaging 28.6 points and 6.8 assists on 54.8 true shooting (47th percentile). While Harden experienced a dip in his efficiency, his scoring volume was still top five for the playoffs that year. Unfortunately for Houston, the team's overall efficiency dropped in the post-season, falling down to a 108.5 OFFRTG and a true shooting of 55.2. With a one-person attack, teams (mainly the Warriors) opted to let Harden do his thing and eliminate anybody else from involvement. Houston's three-point attempts dropped from 42 to 39.8 (still first in attempts) and they shot 33% from behind the arc in the postseason.

Eliminating Harden's kickout ability while also closing out hard to shooters limited the overall team's ability to maintain its historic offense. Houston's isolation-heavy play allowed teams, like the Warriors, to make the game a one-on-five. Yes, James Harden had success, but he was constantly seeing bodies and he was not able to easily find open shooters (even when he did, Houston hit one of the worst shooting slumps in NBA history in Game Seven of the WCF, speaking to the limitations of three hunting). Delegating four players to stand by idly as one person dribbles the air out of the ball is not a sustainable championship strategy. And this is where Joel Embiid's 76ers relate.

A quick glance at your TV screen during a Philadelphia offensive possession during the 2023 postseason will look a lot similar to the 2018 Houston Rockets, except inverted. Joel Embiid catches a pocket pass from the aforementioned Harden, and then... nothing else. It's time for Embiid to take on Al Horford for a contested fadeaway jump shot, all the while the four other players, including Harden, stand behind the three-point and watch. Synergy play-type data showed that during the 2022-23 season, Embiid registered the second-most regular-season isolation possessions and the fourth-most in the playoffs. The Sixers as a whole ranked second in team isolation possessions during the regular season and first in the postseason.

Philly was more than willing and capable of knocking down threes (eighth in postseason attempts and percentage). But, as the three-point line was optimized to give Embiid space, it actually limited his scoring ability. The Sixers' offense was stagnant and often made it more difficult for Embiid not to see more than one body. Embiid was heavily relied on to score, leading to a team ranking towards the bottom of the league in off-ball actions (handoffs, cuts and screens) and pace throughout the season. Lacking motion and player movement limited Embiid's ability to fully take advantage of his one-on-one play. Just like the Warriors did with Harden, teams could key in on Embiid and run shooters off the line into swatting defenders. Yes, three-point shooting is necessary, but it is more of a means to an end. That end is space for the team to attack, not just one player. Defenses are too good to let a dominant player, like Embiid, play iso ball all 48-minutes. By incorporating simple motion actions and racking up the pace of play, Philadelphia can maximize Embiid's dominance. Thankfully, Nick Nurse is doing just that.

The New Philadelphia

With the departure of James Harden, the 76ers are all in on their young, budding star Tyrese Maxey and MVP Joel Embiid. Maxey is not there to be the Harden replacement. Instead, he is there to be a blur of a playmaker and is key to transforming the Sixers' offense.

So far this year, the Sixers have incorporated more movement in their overall offense. The team is now 10th in cuts and second in dribble handoffs. The latter is key because this action is taking place between Maxey and Embiid. With a quick pitch ahead to Embiid, Maxey zooms past his defender into a handoff to quickly launch a three or get downhill. This action alone is one of the most efficient attacks in the NBA, converting to 1.54 points per handoff possession, which is first in the league. This season, both Maxey and Embiid are averaging over 30 points and 6 assists, though in different ways. Maxey pushes the pace (reflected in the Sixers' overall uptick in tempo, from 27th to 20th in pace) and rains three-pointers, while Embiid dominates the half-court. The totality of Embiid's post-ups has gone down, but the Sixers are still utilizing him in these spots. Except this year, the team operates within the spacious bounds of the court, rather than being passive bystanders in the offense. This occupies the defense's attention for a moment, allotting Embiid the time to attack his matchup. If he can score he will. If there is an open teammate cutting, he is more than capable of delivering the ball to them.

The fruit of Nurse's offensive adjustments is a two-time scoring champ leveling up to one of the game's premier playmakers. A limitation of Embiid's MVP status was his passing. When compared to Nikola Jokić (arguably the best passer ever), Embiid's passing instincts and skills are not at the same level. The beauty of straying away from isolation (down to 11th in team isolation possessions per game in 2023) to a more movement-based offense is that Embiid does not have to be the best passer ever. As I have discussed in my playmaker blog if a talent like Embiid can leverage his scoring into easy playmaking opportunities, he can take over as the best playmaker in the sport right now. His combination of size, skill and scoring repertoire already make him nearly unstoppable. Add in seven-plus assists a night and now defenses will have little answers for the 76ers.

On top of Embiid's growing offensive game, he is one of the best rim protectors in all of basketball. As I noted earlier, Philadelphia has started to run in transition more this season. While Maxey runs the floor faster than most players, it all starts with Embiid's defense. The reigning MVP anchored one of the best defenses last year and could be on track to do the same this year. Embiid's paint defense ignites transition opportunities for his team and will play a role in the 76ers having a top offense similar to last year. If Embiid is able to be the centerpiece of a top-three offense and defense, he could easily repeat for Most Valuable Player.

The game seems to be easier for the Sixers because their big man is not left alone to figure out defenses. The addition of movement into their offense and the rise of Maxey has allowed Philly to open the floor for Embiid to attack. Having shooters is not enough when they "just space out". In today's NBA, spacing in conjunction with movement fully actualizes the utility of the three. Coupled with Embiid's elite defense, this could not only be a career year for The Process but also a title run for The City of Brotherly Love.