Joel Embiid’s progress, defending Jalen Brunson and more Sixers-Knicks storylines to watch

NEW YORK — When asked Wednesday night for his initial thoughts on the Knicks, Tyrese Maxey rattled off these descriptors.

Grimy.

Physical.

Tough.

“That’s their identity,” the 76ers’ standout guard added. “So for us to go in there and try to get ‘Ws’ and try to win this series, we have to match that. Not just match it, but we have to overcome that and be better than that and be extremely physical, as well.

“I think we know what we have to do. They kicked our tails in the regular season. It’s time to go in there and fight.”

» READ MORE: What makes Knicks star Jalen Brunson so special? ‘The magic is in the work.’

This is the opponent that the Sixers played in a 79-73 throwback win, after all. But this is still regarded as perhaps the NBA’s most interesting first-round series.

It features reigning Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid, and the questions about how his knee holds up or how his conditioning and timing could sharpen throughout the series. And All-Stars in the backcourt in Maxey and Jalen Brunson. And high-caliber coaches in Nick Nurse and Tom Thibodeau.

Though the Knicks dominated the regular-season series, 3-1, even Nurse acknowledged it’s difficult to glean much from those matchups, because Embiid did not play in three of them and several other injuries on both sides peppered the other games.

Here are five storylines to watch:

In a series expected to be closely contested, conventional wisdom gives the edge to the team with the best player. Under normal circumstances, that is Embiid. Although he has averaged 30.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.2 blocks in five games since his return, he does not look 100% healthy and acknowledged his knee will need to be continuously managed.

Nurse said earlier this week that he is not concerned about Embiid aggravating that injury, like when he briefly left last week’s win against Orlando but returned after halftime. But that possibility still exists, and could be the difference in a series. The possibility also exists that his conditioning gets better and better while immersed in playoff intensity, bringing him closer to the historically dominant form he was in prior to his early-February surgery.

Tactically, it will be fascinating to track how the Knicks defend Embiid, both at the start of Game 1 and throughout the series. He can obviously score at all three levels. But a huge focus for Embiid the past two seasons has been baiting and passing out of double-teams, leading to a career-high 5.6 assists this season. If the Knicks rely on Isaiah Hartenstein and Mitchell Robinson to play him more straight-up, that will affect where he tries to get his points and how his teammates space and cut around him.

Nurse said Friday that the Sixers’ key will be identifying the Knicks’ defensive coverages against Embiid, moving the big man around the floor, and adjusting to the adjustments.

“The complementary guys are going to get their chances,” Nurse said. “And we’ve got to make sure we play some next-action basketball.”

Brunson has put together a dynamite regular season, averaging 28.7 points and 6.2 assists to become a legitimate MVP contender. The multiskilled guard can manipulate defenses with his dribble moves, pass when swarmed, shoot from the outside and midrange, and draw fouls while finishing at the rim.

Nurse said he expects multiple Sixers defenders to guard the former Villanova star, and that the Sixers will deploy a variety of schemes to try to make him work for that production. Does the athletic Kelly Oubre Jr. begin the game on him? Does that become a reason to keep Nico Batum on the floor down the stretch? And how crucial will Embiid be as a rim protector, when Brunson gets past that initial defender?

It’s worth noting that the Knicks posted the slowest pace in the NBA during the regular season, a sign of how Brunson dictates the offense with the ball in his hands. Yet Nurse has noticed recent opponents trying to push the pace against the Sixers, in order to beat Embiid down the floor and not play against a halfcourt defense that ranked third in the NBA in efficiency over the regular season’s final 15 games (108.2 points allowed per 100 possessions).

Though the coach recalled a handful of Brunson kick-ahead passes in their regular-season matchups, “there’s long segments in the game, too, where he’s going to walk it up, get the pieces exactly in place and they’re going to give him space and he’s going to go to work,” he said.

“So it goes almost in two extremes,” the coach added, “and then everywhere in between with him. … I just want to make sure we’re back fast, and we’re making him work if it’s slow.”

While breaking down how to decipher the Knicks’ defense, Nurse said Friday that Maxey “is just as important” as Embiid.

The fourth-year guard has largely thrived in playoff environments. A 16-point outing in Game 6 against the Atlanta Hawks as a rookie in 2021 put him on this star trajectory. A 38-point explosion in Game 1 against the Toronto Raptors two years ago put then-Raptors coach Nurse on notice. Last season, Maxey recorded two 30-point games in 11 playoff appearances, though his field-goal percentage dipped to 42.7%.

» READ MORE: The Knicks mopped the floor with the Sixers the last time they met in the playoffs. Three decades ago.

In three regular-season games against the Knicks, Maxey averaged 26.3 points on 44.8% shooting and six assists. One of those, however, was his first game back after a concussion. He will likely spend much of this series being guarded by OG Anunoby, who missed much of this season with an elbow injury but is one of the NBA’s best perimeter defenders.

In his eighth NBA season, Hield will finally experience his first playoffs.

Following Wednesday’s play-in victory over the Miami Heat, Hield expressed appreciation for reaching that career benchmark. That came after a strong finish to the regular season, including seven points and six assists Wednesday to help fuel the Sixers’ second-half turnaround. He has also been the NBA’s ultimate ironman this season, playing in 86 games including Wednesday and the In-Season Tournament finals.

Hield is one of several Sixers role players who could have a significant impact on this series. Oubre has turned into an important attacker on offense, to finish at the rim and distribute to open teammates. Batum is coming off a 20-point explosion against the Heat, but is consistently valuable as a defender and passer. Paul Reed will need to focus on playing within himself during his minutes when Embiid is off the floor.

Though rotations typically shrink during the playoffs, Cameron Payne, Ricky Council IV, and KJ Martin are options when the Sixers need an energy jolt or to counter a particular matchup or scheme. A prime example: Payne played three minutes Wednesday, but sank a key three-pointer and earned multiple postgame shout outs.

Other role players who could swing games in this series? How about the other former Villanova stars in Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo?

Hart is a classic stuff-the-box-score player, with six triple-doubles this season. His uncanny rebounding — including almost two per game on the offensive glass — is particularly valuable.

DiVincenzo, meanwhile, is more than capable of getting hot from deep range. He shot 40.1% on 8.7 attempts per game, lifting him to a career-best 15.5 points.