The Philadelphia 76ers are one of the tougher teams to stop in the league due to the talent they have surrounding star big man Joel Embiid. If a team tries to double Embiid, he has vastly improved in making the right decisions in the post.
The Sixers have surrounded him with shooters Seth Curry and Danny Green. Even Tobias Harris is an able 3-point shooter, and Tyrese Maxey is improving in that area. Those players on the floor make it tough to defend Embiid.
Teams have switched to a zone defense to slow Embiid and the Sixers. The Golden State Warriors did so on Saturday, and Philadelphia struggled. Golden State’s strategy confused Embiid.
“I still don’t understand when NBA teams play zone,” Embiid said after the win over the Warriors. “I don’t get it. I feel like that’s always been a college thing. But, first of all, it shows you that they can’t guard you. I actually think it’s easier to attack the zone because you’ve just got to find spaces. If you see they’re playing zone, the middle was wide open and those are the shots that you need to take and knock them down.”
The Sixers shot 9-for-27 from deep on Saturday. Golden State shot 12-for-48 from deep. While the Sixers shot better in terms of percentages, they have to get closer to the 48 attempts the Warriors put up. Embiid wants the team to take more 3-pointers in those situations.
“Like I always say, we don’t take enough 3s, and we gotta make them, too,” he added. “I think last game (Thursday), we didn’t make anything at all, and tonight, we made a few, but not enough.”
The Sixers look to continue improving when they take on the Memphis Grizzlies on the road on Monday.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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