Joel Embiid just cannot be stopped right now. The Philadelphia 76ers' superstar big man is on a legendary scoring tear after making some tweaks to his game throughout the years and becoming less dependent on post-up plays. Instead, the Sixers star is attacking defenses more like a wing with face-up dribbles while still using his size to get to where he wants.
Embiid's chemistry with James Harden and ability to score from anywhere on the floor has made him one of the hardest players to stop. His 32 points in a win against the Portland Trail Blazers will actually decrease his average on the season by a little bit. After the win, he talked about the tweaks he has made — and, because he's Joel Embiid, threw in some shade.
“From the time that he got there,” Embiid said to reporters, referring to Sixers head coach Doc Rivers, “the first thing he told me was that I need to figure out where I want the ball. Obviously, before, it was in the post, but like I mentioned in the past, posting up and posting all game long is easy to double. It’s funny when you’ve got these old guys always talking about posting up, ‘You need to spend time in the paint,' and all that stuff. You can’t win this way anymore. It’s not the fricking '90s or '80s like it used to be. So, they must not have any basketball IQ.”
After dissing older players for their inability to adapt their view of the game, he explained that he and his trainer, Drew Hanlen, decided on the nail as the place he would go to work. When he isn't getting the ball there directly, he is usually settling around there after setting a screen for Harden. While he still does run in transition and seal off his man from the hoop from time to time, a lot of his work comes from the mid-range or on drives.
It's safe to say that Embiid's fiery quote is a shot at Hakeem Olajuwon, who had some choice words for Embiid over his preference to take jumpers instead of leveraging his size at every opportunity. The Sixers big man is in a close fight with Luka Doncic for this season's scoring title after winning it last season. It's safe to say the adjustments have paid off.
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