Over the last few seasons, the Philadelphia 76ers have remained one of the best teams in the NBA. The credit for it goes to none other than Joel Embiid and his rise to becoming a phenomenal superstar. But unlike traditional big men, Embiid doesn’t rely much on his game in the post to dominate players. Instead, the 76ers superstar has a pretty solid shooting ability.
This is what makes Joel Embiid a great modern-day center. However, NBA legend Hakeem Olajuwon recently took a dig at Embiid for shooting many 3-pointers instead of dominating in the paint.
That means he watches today’s stars from afar, and he sees the possibilities. Take Embiid. Olajuwon likes him and has given him advice, but he has questions. “He’s got all the moves, but leveraging the moves is different. Why would he be shooting threes?” Olajuwon asks. “He has the advantage every night, and if I have the advantage, I’m going to wear you out.”
But threes? “That’s settling! When I’m tired, I settle. You don’t settle when you’re trying to win. You don’t start the game settling!”
Hakeem taking a shot at Embiid didn’t sit well with the Philadelphia 76ers superstar. After all, he has been one of the most consistent players in the league over the last few years and has been a constant name in the MVP race.
Joel Embiid Claps Back At Hakeem Olajuwon’s Criticism
The Philadelphia 76ers continued their great form against the Portland Trail Blazers and registered another win this season. Embiid continued his dominance, and after the win, the 28-year-old gave a response to Hakeem’s recent criticism.
Joel Embiid: “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.” pic.twitter.com/ykoElNlEDl
— Rich Hofmann (@rich_hofmann) January 20, 2023
“From the time that [Doc Rivers] got there, the first thing he told me I need to figure out where I want the ball. And obviously, before it was in the post. But like I mentioned in the past, posting up, posting all game long, it’s easy to double. It’s funny, when you got these old guys always talking about posting up, need to spend time in the paint and all that, and all that stuff, you can’t win this way anymore. It’s not the freakin’ 90’s or 80’s like it used to be so they must not have any basketball IQ.
But, going back to what I was saying like [Rivers] just, he told me that I need to find the area on the floor that I was gonna be the most comfortable with. Obviously me and Drew [Hanlen] we study a lot. So we just started figuring out, ‘OK where can I be a better playmaker and when can I be a better scorer without being doubled and without being easy to double.’”
Embiid is currently averaging a stunning 33.6 PPG, 9.8 RPG, and 4.2 APG while shooting 53.7% from the field and 35.2% from deep. The 76ers superstar also is on a 7-game streak where he recorded at least 30 points on 50% shooting.
Joel Embiid has recorded 30 points on 50% shooting in 7 straight games. That's the longest streak of his career and the 2nd-longest streak in 76ers history.
Wilt Chamberlain had an 8-game streak in 1965. pic.twitter.com/5OROw4adUZ
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) January 20, 2023
All things considered, Embiid’s ways are working for him, albeit he learned to shoot by watching videos of white people on YouTube. But one thing that Embiid is missing from his resume is leading the 76ers to a meaningful run in the playoffs.
In the last five seasons, the 76ers have been eliminated in the Eastern Conference semifinals four times and once in the first round of the playoffs. So until Embiid proves himself in the playoffs, former NBA legends such as Hakeem Olajuwon will continue to criticize him.
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