Feb. 1, 2026, 5:10 p.m. ET

PHILADELPHIA — After the Philadelphia 76ers knocked off the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday, there was much to discuss. Of course, the 25-game suspension handed down to Paul George dominated the postgame conversation, but one would be remiss to not discuss Joel Embiid.

The big fella is on another level right now. He scored 40 points with 11 rebounds in the win over the Pelicans and made life miserable for New Orleans big men Derik Queen, Yves Missi, and Karlo Matkovic. Embiid was efficient in the mid-range, 3-point line, and got to the free-throw line as he looked like his 2023 MVP self–which is incredible when considering the long road to recovery he’s had to go through.

Rookie VJ Edgecombe gushed when discussing Embiid’s big night.

“He’s Joel Embiid, man,” Edgecombe smiled. “He had 40 and then he protects the rim also. Just being a presence down there. Yeah, bro. I mean, 40 points is pretty self-explanatory, to be honest. So yeah, and it was efficient, too. So, like, it’s yeah.”

While Edgecombe was in awe of what Embiid was able to do, Tyrese Maxey went to his usual tag line when it comes to the greatness of the big fella. He went straight to the “he’s really good at basketball” line, but he then went into a more thoughtful answer.

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“He’s really good at basketball,” Maxey started. “Like really good though, and I’m not trying to be funny, like, he’s playing the right way, too. He’s getting people involved, rolling. I think the biggest thing right now is his trust level in his teammates. Yeah, he put up 40, but even late in the game, he saw I had a mismatch with the big. He waved me off, go space, get a jump shot. Run it again. Mismatch with Zion (Williamson). Go space, drive, kick 3-ball for him. Like, that’s like, real trust, and we appreciate him for that.”

Maxey has been with Embiid throughout this long and tireless journey to recover from his injuries. On a night where the big fella played 39 minutes compared to 35 for Maxey, the 2026 All-Star starter had to sit back and marvel at what his teammate has been able to do.

“It’s a blessing, man,” Maxey finished. “He works hard. He’s done a good job of getting his body right. He played more minutes than me tonight, so that’s good.”

Embiid and the Sixers will begin a 5-game West Coast swing on Monday when they take on the Los Angeles Clippers.