Subscribe
Follow Us
Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid says the Sixers are “playing scared” against zone defenses. The Sixers have lost back-to-back games against the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks.
Both teams played zone-defense against Philly:
“I feel like, especially tonight, we were playing scared,” Embiid said, via ESPN. “Basketball is easy. You just shoot it, pass it, move it. If you don't got a shot just pass it. … I felt like tonight we had a few open looks, [and] you just got to shoot it.”
The Mavs played a zone defense on 35 possessions against the Sixers on Friday night. The Heat played zone on 38 possessions on Wednesday, the most for any team on the season.
Sixers star Ben Simmons still doesn't have a jump shot and is a liability in the half court set. Philly head coach Brett Brown admits that zone defenses are affecting his team's mentality:
“I think that the influence that our inability lately, to, like, be put on our back heels against the zone has crept into our defense, our psyche, our spirit. And I can't stand it. This is not who we are. It's not who we are. … I love coaching these guys, because I respect them. And I feel like our competitive spirit has taken a dent because of our inability to score, and I think that any time you get into a mood swing that affects your defense because your offense is doing something, it needs to be addressed.”
The Sixers are 20-10 on the season, good for sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings. They need to figure out how to attack zone defenses quickly, or else other teams are going to catch on and start exposing Simmons even more.
