Joel Embiid is one of the best big men in the league, and the face of the Philadelphia 76ers. He is one of the most versatile big men in the league, and he is well-known for his physicality in the interior.
Since December 1st, Joel Embiid is averaging 29.6 PPG, 11.1 RPG, and 4.5 APG. Those are the numbers of a top-tier center. Doc Rivers has recently shared his opinion on why Joel Embiid is doing better, and he claimed that the biggest change was going from “taking a lot of jump shots” to “establishing that he’s the biggest and baddest on the floor”. Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire relayed the news.
It seems so long ago when Embiid suffered through an absolutely miserable game back on Dec. 1 against the Boston Celtics. Embiid shot just 3-for-17 in an 88-87 loss to the Celtics on the road, but ever since then, there has been a noticeable change.
“Joel is mixing it up,” said coach Doc Rivers. “I think the biggest change, he went through a stretch where he was taking a lot of jump shots and not a lot of power. I think he’s establishing that he’s the biggest and baddest on the floor, early. That sets up everything else.”
There is no question that Joel Embiid can be the most dominant player on the floor in any given game. He has the physical tools and the ability to do so. While he is adept at shooting from the perimeter (38.9% from 3PT range in 2021-22), the bread and butter of his game is dominating in the post. It seems as though he has gone back to doing that.
Joel Embiid has played at an MVP-caliber before, and he is doing so lately. While he is not the favorite for the award, he is certainly showing that he can play at that level and go toe to toe with other superstars. Hopefully, Joel Embiid’s good stretch continues, as the Philadelphia 76ers definitely need him to play like that to get to the playoffs.
