The free throw is generally considered the easiest shot in basketball. With that being established, it makes sense that drawing free throws is a useful skill, as it gets the player with that skill a lot of easy shots without interference from the defense.
The Philadelphia 76ers have two players that are extremely proficient at drawing free throws, James Harden and Joel Embiid. Joel Embiid leads the league in FTA, with 11.8, and James Harden is 3rd, with 8.3 FTA.
A recent Reddit Post shows just how proficient the Philadelphia 76ers duo is at drawing fouls. User dullknight7 compiled the total amount of field goals made and free throws made for Joel Embiid and James Harden respectively and found out that Joel Embiid and James Harden have both made more free throws than field goals this season.
Embiid has made 555 free throws compared to 538 field goals this season. Harden has made 391 free throws compared to 351 field goals. Embiid is on pace for his 2nd consecutive season with more FTM than FGM. Harden is on pace for his 8th (out of 13) season with more FTM than FGM.
It is very clear that both Joel Embiid and James Harden know how to force defenders to foul them and thus force the referees’ hands for a call. This is obviously a good thing, but over-reliance on free throws can also be detrimental, as the referees generally allow more physical play and give out fewer calls during the playoffs.
The Philadelphia 76ers are widely viewed as contenders after their acquisition of James Harden. There is no doubt that he and Joel Embiid have done well together thus far, and perhaps this will be the year that we see them get to the Finals. Many people thought the duo wouldn’t fit together well, but it’s clear that they have been rolling, and we’ll see how they fare in the playoffs.
