After the Philadelphia 76ers completed a 3-1 series comeback to upset the Boston Celtics in their first round playoff matchup, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla was asked, “what changed?”
“What changed in this series is Joel Embiid came back, and they’re a completely different team.”
He’s right.
In simplest form, the proof is in Philadelphia’s record with and without Embiid. In the 2025-26 regular season, they went 24-14 in games Embiid played, and 21-23 in games he didn’t. His return was also the catalyst for their comeback in the playoff matchup against Boston, as they went 1-2 in the opening three games he missed as he recovered from an appendectomy, and 3-1 after he came back.
While the argument could stop there, we can dig a little deeper using our stats at SIS to find out how Embiid specifically impacts the 76ers.
To start, Embiid was an offensive force this season in the games he did play. Among centers, only Nikola Jokic and Karl-Anthony Towns ranked higher per 100 possessions in Expected Points Influenced (EPI) as ball-handlers, a stat we use to estimate the number of expected points a player adds to his team’s offensive output. Below is a table highlighting some of Embiid’s offensive achievements this season.
| Category | Total (Percentile among centers)* |
| Field Goal Attempts | 26 (100th) |
| Assists | 4.8 (92nd) |
| Potential Assists** | 8.7 (90th) |
| Advantages Created | 11.6 (96th) |
*all per 100 possessions, minimum 1,000 possessions played
**number of shots or shooting fouls directly created for teammates
Embiid’s ability to create advantages has benefitted some of his more impactful teammates like Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Quentin Grimes, specifically in their Points Per Chance (PPC).
| Player | Points per 100 Chances
w/o Embiid (percentile)* |
Points per 100 Chances
w/ Embiid (percentile) |
| Tyrese Maxey | 103.1 (36th) | 112.5 (86th) |
| Paul George | 104.6 (45th) | 109.5 (73rd) |
| Kelly Oubre Jr. | 99.2 (19th) | 111.8 (81st) |
| Quentin Grimes | 101.5 (28th) | 120.5 (96th) |
*minimum 1,000 possessions
With significant upticks from several of their most important players, it makes sense that Philadelphia’s offensive efficiency improves dramatically with Embiid on the court, specifically in PPC, True Shooting% (TS%) and Offensive Rating (ORTG).
| Category | Without Embiid | With Embiid |
| PPC | 26th | 2nd |
| TS% | 30th | 4th |
| ORTG | 20th | 1st |
Improvements from the 76ers are not limited to the offensive end. Embiid also has a positive impact defensively, as Philadelphia improves in both PPC Against and Defensive Rating (DRTG) with him on the court.
| Category | Without Embiid | With Embiid |
| PPC Against | 16th | 7th |
| DRTG | 18th | 8th |
The 76ers had massive improvements across the board when Embiid played in the regular season, and so far, he has taken it to another level in the postseason. Of centers who have played at least 100 possessions this postseason, Embiid ranks 1st in offensive EPI. Not only is he first in EPI, but he’s dominating. The difference in EPI between Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns in 2nd is the same as the difference between Towns and Jakob Poeltl in 14th.
With Embiid leading the charge, the 76ers are playing like the sky is the limit. Maybe they’re right.
