WE'RE BACK G1: Sixers @ Boston 10/22/25 7:30 ET

[Jailblazers7]

Got Charlotte next and I'm honestly concerned about them. They have accumulated enough talent where they might actually make the jump. Destroyed the Nets tonight, who suck. But team looks pretty complete.

They will run Embiid off the floor for sure. I think they have a really nice mix of scoring talent & passing - probably my top league pass team this year. They have a weakness at center but Embiid is unable to exploit that right now.

At minimum, it will be an entertaining game now that we’re willing to let our young guys run and match their pace.

[sixerswillrule]

Amazing debut! No idea what will happen with Embiid and George but there's a big reason to be excited with Maxey and Edgecombe, and hopefully McCain soon too.

[the_process]

It is encouraging to see that the team has clearly shifted away from Embiid and PG. The attitude of "if they're out there, great, but we are no longer counting on them for anything" is the correct one.

[stormi]

Can you imagine what VJ Melton looks like in a few years when that handle tightens up? When he perfects that shooting motion?

I hope thats a mistake and not a nickname u came up with

You weren't here for the post lotto #3 pick drama? Honestly one of the spicier era's of this board that I can remember.

The Ace Bailey contingency ran a strong anti-VJ campaign and that nickname was a huge influence.

Think it traces back to @Arsenal lmao

[Arsenal]

I'm not the kind of guy to say I told you so... but don't forget that I was the one who anointed him "Valdez JORDAN"! Hopefully the haters will start to recognize and come around.

Thank god we landed at #3 overall instead of being stuck with the inferior players taken at #1, #2, #4 and #5 overall.

[stormi]

also think we need to find a way to not always have Biid out there with a non shooting big. Junked up the spacing. I like the idea of going double big but tonight didn't feel like the night to go to it as often as we did..i'd use most of Biid's 20-25 minutes in a 3 guard lineup with Oubre (sadly) at the 4 for now...also want to see more Biid in the dunker spot as promised and less him at the top of the key

he also somehow didn't have a TO today

I just don't think that's possible anymore.

I mean I guess if we had a prime-Brolo or a Jaren Jackson that could provide elite 2-way play from the frontcourt, space and defend etc then you're in paradise, but with Embiid's mobility at this stage he desperately needs another F on the floor with him, even at the expense of a perfectly fluid offense. I think Barlow did a lot of the very necessary dirty work that this team has been lacking, especially timely rebounds in the 4Q.

A W/F with Oubre's athleticism, hustle + more consistent spacing would also help massively, but again, those guys are unicorns so such is life.

[Arsenal]

Basically, everything in that game was great... EXCEPT Embiid looked bad. He killed us with a -16 in only 20 mins.

However, his past slow starts give reason to hope he'll improve after 5-10 games, once he gets into shape. Not ready to panic yet.

[HotelVitale]

Basically, everything in that game was great... EXCEPT Embiid looked bad. He killed us with a -16 in only 20 mins.

However, his past slow starts give reason to hope he'll improve after 5-10 games, once he gets into shape. Not ready to panic yet.

He also just played weirdly and badly, like he didn’t know what he wanted to do. At least 4 of his shots were weird forced things with no rhythm, and he also spent long stretches telegraphing ‘hey I’m only here to do dribble hand offs so go ahead and leave me alone.’

So I’m not encouraged but I’m not judging anything based on that game. Even if he’s way diminished physically from now on he’s not going to keep playing the way he did today.

I do worry about the defense though.

[FireMorey]

This wasn't a scoring play, but a play that showed me something:

At the end of the game, VJ ripping down that defensive rebound in traffic between like 3 Celtics players and going to the floor with it. He missed the FTs... I think, maybe that was the sequence where he made them I can't remember... but that play just personifies VJ. Tough, gritty. The Sixers in any of the other Embiid era years never win that game. They'd have some awful turnover down the stretch or they'd have folded when they went down 10. I think the young back court of this team is going to bring a new attitude with a killer instinct. And doing the little things to win games like a guard ripping down a rebound between multiple Celtics in a key moment.

[Jailblazers7]

I think it will take Embiid a long time to find a rhythm under the new status quo. He was used to historically high usage rates where he’s constantly touching the ball, getting up shots, and establishing a rhythm. NoW, he’s gonna be a secondary playmaker with a more limited offense scope. That will be a big adjustment and we should give him some time before rushing to judgment. His mobility is a huge red flag tho and will stress our defense enormously.

A really telling play to me was when Tyrese took a contested step back (and made it) instead of passing to Embiid in the corner at the 7:40 mark in the second quarter. A small but important signal that Maxey is empowered as the offensive engine and no longer needs to defer to Embiid.

[Mik317]

we need Biid to be a knock down shooter off the catch. Too often he either allowed the defender to come contest or looked uncomfortable taking the shot.
That is how he extends his career imo.

Don't think he has the lift to do that tho

[bball4life]

If his knees are shot and he can no longer jump, well..... he's done. Not sure what else to say here. He's not a Dirk Nowitzki level shooter and likely never will be. He needs to be able to defend and run the floor to be effective. He looked like the worst guy on the floor. Hard to believe less than 2 years ago he was averaging more points than minutes played. Insane production. Assuming his knees are basically made of paper at this point, I anticipate yet another season ending injury and sadly that is our best shot at getting out of this if he miraculously chooses retirement. He seems to love family time and maybe he will just hang them up. That's the only realistic way out at this point. Morey extending him early looks worse and worse every minute.

ALL that being said, maybe it is just the Embiid "rust" and he will be at least 80% of his peak and make me look like Chicken Little. But I am VERY dubious.

[FireMorey]

I don't think jumping is the thing with him. I mean, he has to be able to jump a little bit, but I think because of his size, as long as he can move laterally and be able to cut, he'll be fine even if his jumping is compromised. But if he can't move or cut, then he's in serious trouble because he'll bog down the offense and he picked on mercilessly on defense.

[bball4life]

I don't think jumping is the thing with him. I mean, he has to be able to jump a little bit, but I think because of his size, as long as he can move laterally and be able to cut, he'll be fine even if his jumping is compromised. But if he can't move or cut, then he's in serious trouble because he'll bog down the offense and he picked on mercilessly on defense.

Well, he couldn't move or cut either. I don't think I saw him move faster than a jog the whole game, and he couldn't contest anything at the rim. It was alarming,

[FireMorey]

I don't think jumping is the thing with him. I mean, he has to be able to jump a little bit, but I think because of his size, as long as he can move laterally and be able to cut, he'll be fine even if his jumping is compromised. But if he can't move or cut, then he's in serious trouble because he'll bog down the offense and he picked on mercilessly on defense.

Well, he couldn't move or cut either. I don't think I saw him move faster than a jog the whole game, and he couldn't contest anything at the rim. It was alarming,

It's hard to tell whether or not he was just hesitant to push it yet or if that's all his body can give him. I didn't watch the preseason live, but from the recaps I watched, he seemed to move better in preseason, so I'm hoping that was him afraid to push it in his first game, plus being not in the best shape like he usually isn't to start a season. Embiid doesn't need much athletic ability to be a force on offense. He's a greater shooter and because of his size, he could hit that jab step, mid pull up all day. It's defense I'm most worried about, he's gotta be able to rotate and move. We'll see in the coming weeks what he's got.

[MikRay]

Basically, everything in that game was great... EXCEPT Embiid looked bad. He killed us with a -16 in only 20 mins.

However, his past slow starts give reason to hope he'll improve after 5-10 games, once he gets into shape. Not ready to panic yet.

I’m hoping we can somehow trade him, but I don’t see any takers

[Winejk]

Just weird watching the team out on the floor closing the game. Barlow was playing C.

Lost in all the VJ talk is Barlow had a good game showing a lot of versatility.

[stormi]

Well, he couldn't move or cut either. I don't think I saw him move faster than a jog the whole game, and he couldn't contest anything at the rim. It was alarming,

Yea he looks toast in the open court.

It's just sad watching opposing players challenge him at the rim without fear anymore. He can't pivot, plant or react with any real confidence and I'm sure it's exactly how other teams are game planning as well.

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

Meh...Again, Embiid has been through a lot over the last 20 months. Prior to this he'd already had an extensive injury history. Things add up over time. He's playing cautious at the moment which is fine. He needs time to see if he can even get back up to speed. Not surprised at all by what he showed last night. He's a big man, 31 years old with a mountain of injuries throughout his career.
If you're expecting MVP Embiid, you might as well forget it. People seem to not understand what all he's been through. It's wrecked him mentally and limited him physically. Give it a month before the hot takes.

[M2J]

Still encouraged from what I've seen from Joel so far. Just seemed gassed after his first run. Also knowing how his history has been coming out of normal summer layoffs, I don't expect more from him considering he really hasn't been in shape since February 2024. I personally predicted and hoped he wouldn't come back until mid November to give him as much time before returning as kawhi took. Him being on minutes restriction is smart. Him not wearing a brace and looking skinny is good. I just don't want to hear about swelling, even then... That's not totally unexpected that he'll need pain management... But consistent swelling IMO is when I say he's cooked and should consider injury retirement


But hey, we'll all know soon.