Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is one of the dominant players in the game. Once he gets the ball on the low block, it is either a bucket or he is getting fouled and getting to the line. Teams can’t even double him anymore due to the weapons surrounding him.
In Tuesday’s 106-96 win over the Boston Celtics, Embiid had 35 points and six rebounds to lead the way. The big fella got to the free-throw line a whopping 20 times, making 16, as he bullied all of Boston’s bigs in the win.
For a guy who entered the night averaging 11.6 free throws a game, the 20 free throws were a high number even for him.
“Getting to the free-throw line is a skill,” said Embiid. “A lot of people call it flopping, I’m physical. I’m gonna create contact, guys are gonna react, they’re gonna put their hand up and if I catch him slipping, I’m gonna get to the free-throw line. It’s not as easy as people think. It is a skill, not everybody can do it. You got to have a high basketball IQ to be able to pull it off.”
The one thing that bothered Embiid is the number of free throws he missed. He missed four of the 20 he took on Tuesday and this comes after he shot 12-for-17 from the line in a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday. The misses are what is bothering the big fella.
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“I’m actually very disappointed,” he explained. “The last two games, there were a lot of them that just, I don’t know why, but I just got to focus I guess. They’re called free throws for a reason, and I love getting to the free-throw line. I don’t spend any energy from being at the free-throw line. I actually rest more.”
While Embiid has his own personal goals of winning Defensive Player of the Year as well making an All-NBA Defensive Team, another personal goal is he wants to shoot 90% from the free-throw line. He’s getting there as he entered Tuesday night shooting 85.2% from the line, but that is something he wants to achieve which will make him even tougher to defend.
“I should just take my time and knock them down and at some point in my career, I want to become a 90% free throw shooter and just knock them down every single time I get to it because I go there so many times,” he explained. “That’s what makes you unguardable when you can get your spot and either score or get fouled.”
Embiid’s free throws allow the Sixers to set up on the defensive end of the floor. It gets opponents in foul trouble as shown on Tuesday when Boston’s Robert Williams III fouled out and the Celtics had to turn to their third-string center, Tacko Fall.
“It’s one of the things I remember when I took the job; I thought it was really important that Joel got to the line more,” said coach Doc Rivers. “Not only does Joel make the free throws, but it also sets our defense when they get to the line. You get two things out of that, and you get the other team in foul trouble. There’s a lot of stuff, by going to the foul line making your foul shots and setting your defense.”
Embiid will look to continue his dominance in the paint when the team takes on the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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