Philadelphia 76ers superstar big man Joel Embiid has been unstoppable all season long. No matter what kind of defense is thrown at him, he continues to destroy any defenders in his path. He has been dominant all season long as he either gets a bucket or he gets fouled. That is just how it is.
In Monday’s win over the Dallas Mavericks, Embiid led everything out. He had 36 points on 10-for-17 shooting with seven rebounds and he was 14-for-15 from the line. There is a noticeable difference with his offense in the 2020-21 season compared to the year’s past, however, and it is apparent.
He is not just a post-up player. He can put the ball on the floor and he can knock down pull-up jumpers, he can get to the basket by putting the ball on the floor, he can knock down pick-and-pop jumpers, and he is more dynamic.
“Last year was a bunch of post-ups,” Embiid explained. “I had to figure it out that way. This year is more dynamic. The past few seasons, I’ve had an opportunity to kind of do the same, but then again, I had put the work in to get better at those other facets of the game. Maybe shooting off the dribble, handling the ball, setting picks, pick-and-pop, handoffs, coming off screens, and posting up.”
Embiid is shooting 52.9% on shots where he takes somewhere between three and six dribbles per NBA Stats. He has shown a different way of scoring when he is forced to put the ball on the floor and that is due to all of the work he put in over the offseason after they were swept in the playoffs by the Boston Celtics.
“When we lost in the bubble, when I was working out, that was one thing we really focused on,” said Embiid. “Just work on my game off the dribble and that’s helped a lot. This year, the system that we have in place is dynamic. It allows me to not be a 5. It allows me to be a basketball player. Either to run the offense or to score to facilitate for other guys.”
In that series, Embiid averaged 30 and 10, but almost all of his points came from him posting up. He did not really do much else and one can make the argument of why do anything else? He is unstoppable down low. However, the game has evolved and when a guy his size can do the things he does, it changes everything for a team on offense.
Playing under coach Doc Rivers, Embiid has had other parts of his game be unlocked. He has always said that he feels he is more than just a post player and that he wants to do more. Under Rivers, he is given that freedom and he has taken advantage of that and his true shooting percentage is up to a career-high 64.5% this season because of the freedom and the work he has put in.
“It allows me to just be myself which I’ve always seen in myself,” Embiid finished. “I’ve never seen myself as just being a post player. I’ve always seen myself just be just being like Kevin Durant. Just moving all over the place, shooting off the dribble, handing the ball, crossing over, posting up.”
Speaking of Durant, the Sixers will match up with the former league MVP and the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday at home for their next challenge.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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