Joel Embiid is leading the way for the Philadelphia 76ers as they look to prove their worth as a title contender. The Sixers' superstar big man is posting another spectacular scoring season — one that has him near the top of MVP conversations — but one critique of his game continues from opposing fan bases lingers: that he's a free-throw merchant. Daryl Morey has something to say to those fans.
After Embiid passed Luka Doncic on the NBA scoring leaderboard, Morey posted a screenshot of it. A Boston Celtics fan reacted to Embiid's 11.8 free-throw attempts per game (which ranks second in the league behind only Giannis Antetokonmpo's 12.7), to which the Sixers' president of basketball operations responded with a meme sharing a simple message: simply don't foul him.
https://t.co/Jul79EukTQ pic.twitter.com/U7IjF8eyQd
— Daryl MorΞy 🗽🏀 (@dmorey) March 9, 2023
Morey's reaction picture of choice plays off of the skits from actor/comedian Scott Seiss. The Sixers president even tagged him in the post. Philly fans often enjoy pointing out when people get upset by Embiid and James Harden's ability to get to the foul line as defenses struggle to contain them. Harden, who has also faced heavy criticism for his heavy volume of free throws over the years, once reacted to a heckling fan by saying that he also doesn't want to see fouls.
Embiid and Harden still draw their fair share of fouls but that's not their bread and butter on offense. The way they connect on pick-and-rolls has been nothing short of elite, as it allows both players to get space and pick apart defenses. The Sixers' proficiency from the foul line (first in the NBA in percentage, third in free-throw rate) is a big piece of the puzzle but the centerpiece is how Harden and Embiid tear defenses apart from the floor together.
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