Trendon Watford shines as Sixers destroy Nets without Joel Embiid

Joel Embiid was ruled out a day before the Sixers tipped off with the Nets in Brooklyn.

A scheduled game off for the big man, who had played in four of the team's first five contests

Through 24 minutes of play on Sunday, it was abundantly clear that the Sixers would've been verging on irresponsibility if Embiid had taken the floor for this matchup.

That says more about the Nets than it does about the Sixers.

Brooklyn is marketing a team led by Cam Thomas and Michael Porter Jr.

The problem for Brooklyn is that they're marketing a team led by Cam Thomas and Michael Porter Jr.

They play like it.

All the Sixers needed to do was put forth a professional effort. Barely anything more, but nothing less.

Thomas and Kelly Oubre Jr. (22 points, a career-high for a first quarter) traded heaters in the game's opening minutes. The Sixers committed a slew of fouls and blew a number of defensive coverages en route to a 40-37 advantage after 12 minutes.

It was abundantly clear who the better team was from the start. But the better team had yet to play a complete basketball game this season.

The Sixers did not do that on Sunday. But they did enough to comfortably advance to 5-1 on the young season.

When the Sixers finally decided to lock in on defense, they blew the young Nets off the court.

They won the second and fourth quarters by 15 and 12, respectively. 

The three-point shot continues to be a best friend to this team. Tyrese Maxey and Quentin Grimes combined to shoot 8-for-17 from beyond the arc. Brooklyn made seven as a team.

But it would be dishonest to characterize this game as a simple matter of three-point disparity.

The Sixers continue to carry themselves as a well-oiled machine on offense. They committed too many turnovers, particularly of the live-ball variety. Their transition defense helped the Nets score some baskets they likely would not have created in a halfcourt environment.

But their ball movement and player movement were outstanding.

Grimes logged a career-high 13 assists. The Sixers had three players register more than five helpers. Philadelphia out-assisted Brooklyn by 13.

Grimes might've boasted the biggest number. Trendon Watford's passing was the most brilliant of Philadelphia's assortment.

Watford kept his head up in transition, finding open teammates for great shots against the unset Nets' defense.

The Sixers would like to weaponize their riches of guards just as much off the ball as they do on the ball.

They'll be able to execute on that idea more when Paul George returns. But they just haven't had the combination of skills and decision-making from their menu of forwards to experiment with that.

Watford was supposed to help that vision. The first two games of his Sixers career were rough. On Sunday, he did all of the things that playmaking forwards have to do.

Watford created rim pressure - both as a driver and post-up hunter. His drives forced Brooklyn rotations to stop the basketball, leaving teammates open at the rim and on the perimeter. When he got favorable cross-matches with his back to the basket, Watford applied his size to force the Nets to send help.

Whether it was a shooter, cutter, or dump-off man, Watford found the opening. The rock pin-balled around the floor when he was in the game.

Good ball movement is not truly attainable without good player movement. Cutting and relocating creates high-quality shots, but it also enhances the spacing of your offense.

The Nets were not prepared to counter a team that could both shoot and move the basketball. By the second quarter, only the Sixers could stop the Sixers from winning the game. 

You don't learn much from these matchups. The Nets are publicly trying to lose. But you earn respect in these games by respecting the game, yourself.

A perfect night for the Sixers, no.

A professional one, yes.