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At the bitter end of the 2019-20 season, it seemed like no one associated with the Sixers was happy with the makeup of the squad roster – Joel Embiid included.
When asked during a Zoom call with reporters on Friday if he communicated any roster preferences to the Sixers front office, Embiid initially noted that he doesn’t like to assign blame elsewhere than on his own shoulders. He wanted to see specific repairs, however.
“I felt like we didn’t have what we needed, especially when it came to shooting, because these days in the NBA you have to be able to shoot the ball,” he said. declared. “You have to be able to space the floor. It’s hard to play backwards all the time. I led the league in post-ups last year … but people still want me to post more. It’s understandable, but then again, you have to strike a balance between making sure everyone is involved and giving me the ball. And then you also have to shuffle your game.
“If I spend a lot of time on the block the entire game, they won’t respect my outside game. And I also need to be able to do it to space the floor and give my teammates space. I think you just have to find a balance. What I told them was just, “We just need more shoots.” It was obvious looking at last year. We weren’t able to shoot the ball well. I thought they were doing a good job. I feel bad for the guys we lost; they were my guys. But I thought (the front office) adding shooters was great.
On draft night, the Sixers’ new president of basketball operations Daryl Morey acquired Danny Green and Seth Curry in the trades, parting ways with Al Horford and Josh Richardson. Horford won a career-high 4.2 three-point-per-game last season in an ill-suited hybrid power center / backup role. Richardson didn’t shoot well at three points (34.1%) and also favored jumpers inside the arc over three too often.
According to Cleaning the Glass, 36% of Richardson’s shots were three and 22% were long-range efforts. In contrast, 55% of Curry’s attempts were three and 16% were long mid-range attempts. (Curry also happens to be a very good mid-range shooter, as we’ve explored here.)
The bottom line is that Green and Curry both frequently shoot threes, an important quality for a Sixers team that was ninth last season in long-distance percentage, but 22nd in three-point attempts. And, aside from just scoring more by making more of the sport’s most valuable shot, there are the spacing benefits mentioned by Embiid. While transition is likely a hot topic given Rivers’ desire to boost the pace for the Sixers, Embiid knows the team’s midfield offense needs to improve.
“Where we had our difficulties last year was in the half court,” he said, “so one of the things I said to the coach was basically that we have to make sure our game on the half court is great, because last year we didn’t. I do not know what to do. I felt like we always had to have a game plan in these kinds of situations. Because at the end of the day, we’re getting ready for the playoffs. We are not fighting to get there. … We think we can win an NBA Championship this year.
The Sixers have won the most goals in the league with seven to four seconds remaining on the shot clock. They were often stagnant, scoreless and ineffective, posting a 46.2 field goal percentage in these late situations, the fourth worst mark in the NBA. No elite perimeter shooter creator stepped in to save the day, but there is now greater risk in defenses wrapping paint to thwart Ben Simmons and in double team Embiid, the best post-up player. high-volume NBA in 2019-20.
An interesting element of the upcoming changes is that Rivers’ plan to play faster and perform more pick-and-roll doesn’t intuitively match Embiid’s strengths. Scouting and rolling is far from Embiid’s best skill, and Brett Brown’s offense didn’t include a lot of pick-and-rolls. As for the pace initiative, that seems better suited to Simmons than a big All-Star man who thrives low.
“I think of course we can mix the two,” Embiid said. “When you think about the game, especially in the regular season, especially the first three quarters, you have to make saves and you have to run. And when you get to the fourth quarter and the defense toughens up and it’s harder to get those opportunities, now you get to (half court attack) and the game slows down.
“That’s where I come in. My ability to score the ball in 1-on-1 situations or draw fouls, I think, is among the best in the league – or probably the best in the league. this type of situation. talked about shuffling in pick-and-rolls and just playing with the elbow or fingernail, which also gives me a lot of space, playing in those areas of the floor.
“And then also, with the extra shooters, I think it’s going to help us open the floor, especially for someone like Ben who is so good downhill, bouncing the ball and pushing in transition and finding shooters. So I think it’s gonna be great. And then when we get to the playoffs, it’s harder to get those opportunities. That’s why I also put the emphasis on the half court. We have to be great at it because I’ve played a couple of times in the playoffs and the main thing is if your half-court attack isn’t great you’re not going anywhere. And you also need to have excellent players who can play the games. “
Embiid asked for and received the surrounding shooters that allowed him and Simmons to excel together during the 2017-18 season. That’s not to say that everything will immediately click under a new coaching staff or that the team’s style will be ideal for Embiid.
Aside from the delicate details and nuances on the pitch, Embiid loves the look of the team around him. That clearly matters to the Sixers.
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