Player grades: Joel Embiid returns, but Sixers drop Game 4 to Celtics

VJ Edgecombe: D

Edgecombe’s shooting struggles continued to start the night. He missed two very open 3-point looks and was out of sync a bit on the offensive end of the floor. Overall, Edgecombe finally looked like a rookie. Outside of the Game 2 explosion, the normally poised rookie is beginning to finally show that this is, in fact, his first go-around in the NBA. He will have to find a way to bounce back in Game 5 on Tuesday.

Paul George: C

It was a tough night for George. He was unable to get much going on the offensive end, despite getting some good looks, and had a tough night shooting the ball and was unable to make an impact on the glass. He found some success when he put the ball on the floor and was able to finish at the basket, but it was too little, too late. It was an overall quiet night when the Sixers really needed him to knock down shots and keep the scoreboard moving.

Kelly Oubre Jr.: D-minus

One has to give Oubre for giving great effort in this one. He got after it on the offensive end as he put the ball on the floor and attacked the basket. The issue is that he was unable to find much success on those shot attempts. He also had some miscues defensively as he committed some questionable foul calls on that end and Boston was able to get things going on its end.

Joel Embiid: C-plus

Appendectomy? What appendectomy? Embiid looked like himself in his first stint out on the floor. He drew two fouls on Celtics big man Neemias Queta and then made life miserable for Nikola Vucevic in the paint. He was knocking down free throws while also being efficient in the paint. With that being said, he wasn’t able to get much going with the jumper. He missed some looks in the mid-range and struggled with his 3-point shot as well as being a step slow defensively. His mere presence was a big lift, but the Sixers looked a bit out of sync with him on the floor. While he deserves so much credit for toughing it out and being there for his team, he was a bit out of sync at times and it was apparent in Philadelphia's play.

Andre Drummond: D

The initial stint for Drummond did not go great. The Celtics hunted him on pick-and-rolls and were able to generate a lot of offense with him on the floor. He was a minus-9 in two minutes and committed two fouls. He made his return later in the first half, but then left with an injury which led to Bona receiving minutes. He did end up returning in the second half, but he was unable to grab a rebound in this one.

Quentin Grimes: B-minus

After a tough Game 3 effort, Grimes found success early. He knocked down a triple on his first attempt and then was able to put the ball on the floor and attack the basket for a slam. Those were buckets the Sixers needed as Boston was building its lead. He, at least, gave the Sixers some scoring and playmaking for the bench unit.

Adem Bona: C

The young big man had to enter after Drummond suffered an injury and he made some things happen. He was active around the basket and finished on the offensive end while providing a ton of energy to a team that really needed it.

Justin Edwards: Incompete

The initial stint for Edwards didn’t produce much. He was unable to get anything going on the offensive end and had a tough showing defensively. He didn’t get second half minutes until the game was decided.

Dominick Barlow: Incomplete

After not playing at all in Game 3, Barlow received a look early in this one when Boston was dominating the glass. He wasn’t able to make much of an impact as the Celtics neutralized him a bit. He didn’t get a look after halftime until the game was decided.

This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Player grades: Joel Embiid returns, but Sixers drop Game 4 to Celtics