The Philadelphia 76ers are a team that relies so much on spacing. They need to be able to space the floor in order for Joel Embiid to go to work down low in the paint while also taking advantage of the shots that he creates for them.
Every time Embiid touches the ball, he gets doubled and the Sixers get a lot of good looks from the perimeter. However, they are having a lot of issues knocking down shots lately as they are shooting only 31.1% from deep over the previous 10 games.
“It’s just not going in, honestly, you couldn’t have gotten better shots the other night,” said coach Doc Rivers. “Joel started off the game, I think our first three shots were 3s, they were wide-open, we tell our guys to keep shooting them. They’re open and you gotta keep shooting them. They’re going to go in over the long haul. We’re going through a stretch where they’re not.”
Danny Green is shooting only 32% from deep over that 10-game stretch, Seth Curry is at 35.4% from deep over that span, Tobias Harris is at 26.3% over the stretch, and Tyrese Maxey is at 33.3% from deep. Shots are just not falling for Philadelphia at the moment.
“We talked about it last game, we’re getting pretty good shots,” said Maxey. “Kinda like the same shots we were getting at the beginning of the year, but it’s the highs and lows of the NBA season. Everybody goes through slumps, everybody goes through different things, and it’s difficult. You just gotta stay the course. Keep shooting the shots you’re supposed to shoot, the open shots, the good shots, and eventually, they go in.”
Considering the highs and lows of the NBA season, Rivers and the Sixers are not going to do anything drastic. Even an elite shooter like Steph Curry is only shooting 32.4% from deep over the last five games.
“We’re not going to overreact,” said Rivers. “I think Steph Curry’s numbers over the last five games, he’s shooting like 30%. I don’t think Steve Kerr is gonna come in and have a meeting with Steph and be like ‘Hey, stop shooting them’. It is what it is. As long as they’re good ones and overall, I think we’ve had really good ones. Down the stretch the other night, we got two point-blank wide-open 3s and it didn’t go in.”
Rivers is not wrong about the loss on Thursday. The Sixers put up 34 triples compared to 23 for the Brooklyn Nets and they were pretty good looks. The high number of attempts from deep is something that Embiid wants. He wants Philadelphia to take more triples around him.
“We have to make more 3s,” said Danny Green. “It’s a combination of both those things. I feel like more so, the pace. We push the pace, it gives us a chance to get to more open early looks at the rim and the perimeter. That’s the one thing we’re not consistent with, but also getting the ball to him more and drawing more double teams, figuring out movement, and making decisive decisions, progressive decisions.”
To Embiid’s point about wanting the Sixers to take more 3s, the more that gets put up, the better chance the team has at knocking down looks.
“This has nothing to do with Joel,” Rivers added. “I don’t think we have to take more 3s, I think we have to get good shots. Joel is really creating a lot of 3s for us so you have to take those. Or you have to take the 2s. We mean, on those closeouts, drive and get layups, but we have to create more 3s, more layups every night. If you get those two things, you’re in a good shape.”
The Sixers have proven shooters on this roster. It’s just at a point where they just have to step up and knock down shots.
“Either catch and shoot right away or catch and go, or catch and pass,” Green added. “I think we’re second-guessing ourselves, we’re thinking a little too much, but I think to start the last game, we started off pretty well not thinking about it too much and letting it fly. We started off pretty well. We just gotta keep our legs under us and try to keep it consistent.”
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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