There are not many players in the league like Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid.
The 7-foot big man has a knack for scoring. He can do it at all three levels. He can shoot from deep. He has a mid-range shot. He gets to the foul line, and he can drive past opponents.
Embiid has also improved passing out of double teams. He sees the floor better, and Philadelphia has put him at the elbow to help him in that regard. He has continued to get better. He is averaging a robust 33.3 points on 53.8% shooting. There isn’t much the guy can’t do.
Embiid sat down with Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports, and he discussed his development as a player as the Sixers chase a title. When asked if he feels close to perfect, he answered:
I think I’m there. I think I feel like I’m close. For me, it’s all about, how do I bring everybody along? I feel like I’ve seen everything as far as the playoffs. I’ve been guarded so many different ways. You know, whether it’s doubling. You play Toronto, they’re doubling at halfcourt. They’re trying to get the ball out of my hands. You play other teams, they double me. So I feel like I’ve seen everything. I feel like I know how to attack everything. For me, it’s about, how do I bring everybody along with me? How do I make sure everybody’s on the same page so we can succeed? It doesn’t matter if I go out there and average 30 or 40 or whatever, 10 rebounds, even if I get 10 assists, it doesn’t matter if I’m the only one playing well. You can’t win alone. You need the other four guys and the guys coming off the bench. It’s about, how do I make sure that everybody else on my team can play at that level?
After Tuesday’s win over the Sacramento Kings, Embiid mentioned he wants the Sixers to win games. It doesn’t matter about his individual numbers or accomplishments at this stage of his career. He is focused on helping Philadelphia win and win big in the playoffs.
If he can continue to make these strides and become the perfect player, the Sixers are going to be very tough to beat in the postseason.
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