PHILADELPHIA — It has been a struggle for Philadelphia 76ers guard De’Anthony Melton to begin the 2023-24 season.
After shooting 1-for-9 in Wednesday’s 106-103 win over the Boston Celtics, Melton is shooting 29.5% from the floor and 32.4% from deep. This comes after he shot 42.5% from the floor and 39% from deep in the 2022-23 season.
Considering Melton is a career 36.9% shooter from deep, one figures he will get back on track. He is too good a shooter not to find his rhythm again, and Joel Embiid knows it.
“Keep shooting,” Embiid said of Melton. “Keep shooting. They’re gonna fall at some point. You can’t tell him not to keep shooting. He’s a great shooter so you gotta keep telling him keep shooting, keep shooting. Even if he misses it. Even if he goes 0-for-10, 0-for-15. Wide-open. Shoot it. Not even wide open. If you think you can make it, take it.”
The Sixers have had an early season mentality of pushing one another and making sure everybody succeeds. That is the message Embiid is preaching when it comes to Melton’s early struggles.
Even with the shooting struggles, Melton has been terrific on the defensive end, meaning he has found a way to contribute.
“I think that’s the mentality that all of us have and like I said, there’s no ego,” Embiid added. “We want everybody to succeed and he’s just one of them. We want him to do good, but other than that, he’s been doing a bunch of great things. Defensively, getting his hands on the ball a lot. So he’s gonna be fine.”
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