Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid is one of the leading candidates for league MVP. He is dominating by embracing the style of elite bigs from past eras.
Embiid is having his most efficient season in part because he has shown a greater commitment to his post-up game and ability to break opposing bigs down or face up and shoot mid-range jumpers.
The 26-year-old is averaging 30.2 points, 11.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, shooting close to 53 percent from the field and 41.6 percent from beyond the arc. Embiid is a handful inside, using leverage and footwork to get to the rim for easy deuces or draw fouls and get to the rim.
Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey presided over a Houston Rockets team that broke records for three-point attempts. But Morey acknowledges the potential value in hunting shots inside the arc and especially in the post:
“There are a lot of subtle things missed by shooting higher percentage shots even if they are 2s,” Morey says, via TrueHoop. “More often, the other team is going against our halfcourt defense, which is No. 1 in the league when Joel (Embiid) and Ben (Simmons) are playing.”
Granted, the three-ball has still been an important part of Philly’s success.
Seth Curry has been a tremendous acquisition. Tobias Harris is shooting 40 percent from deep. Danny Green has shot the ball pretty well (.377) on high volume.
Indeed, Embiid is averaging the most points per 100 possessions with Curry on the floor. Seth presents a constant danger as a catch-and-shoot guy or even off the dribble. He complements Ben Simmons, who is at his best when he gets downhill.
The changes in personnel have helped, and Harris’s emergence as a third star is a legitimate development. But Embiid’s conscious decision to maximize his strengths as an old school big man has paid enormous dividends with the Sixers on top of the Eastern Conference, and Morey says it doesn’t matter how it’s done, via TrueHoop.
“I’m worried about winning,” Morey says. “I’m not worried about how.”
