In an appearance on the ‘Check Ball Show,’ 76ers big man Joel Embiid gave his honest answer on how many points he’d average in the NBA if there were no double teams. Unsurprisingly, Embiid went on the high side and explained why getting exclusively single coverage would make him unstoppable.
“No doubles? 50. Not even kidding, I would. Because all you would have to do is just throw the ball down there every single possession, I’ll get to the free-throw line every time or I’ll score. Most teams they have, what, two big men? Next thing you know, they’re all going to be in foul trouble. Even with the double teams nowadays, I get double and triple-teamed every possession and those guys are getting in foul trouble. So I think if you were not allowed to double… I mean, that’s hard.”
To date, Wilt Chamberlain is the NBA player in the history of the game who has averaged at least 50 points. He did it way back in 1962 when he finished the season with an average of 50.4 points per game. Nobody has really ever come close to that mark since and the modern playstyle of today’s game might make it even more unlikely for the streak to be broken.
Still, according to Embiid, this is something that he could do if the NBA only gave him single coverage for a full season. And even as unlikely as it seems, it’s worth noting that Joel was already the NBA’s leading scorer with an average of 34.7 points last season (a career-high), and that came against double and triple teams in almost every game. It was good enough to earn him MVP honors over Nikola Jokic.
As a 7’0″, 250+ pound big man, Embiid requires two and often three defenders to disrupt his rhythm and even then he finds a way to score more often than not. So without any double or triple teams, it’s reasonable to assume that Embiid could put up 40 points more throughout the course of a full season.
Unfortunately for Joel, it would be unlikely that he stays healthy enough for it to count anyway. Despite his amazing performance last season, Embiid managed to play just 39 games and it made him ineligible for any regular-season awards.
This season, the priority for Embiid will be about availability over everything else. Whether he averages 30 points or 50 points per game, it won’t matter if he’s not on the floor and the 76ers have experienced that first-hand over the past few years.
This year, with Paul George and Tyrese Maxey, the thinking is that the 76ers can lighten Embiid’s load and do more to help preserve his body and strength for the postseason. While he will see plenty of double and triple teams, it may not matter if George and Maxey are there to provide support.
Either way, Joel does not lack confidence and that’s a good sign for the 76ers. If the 30-year-old superstar can just stay healthy and maintain his previous level of play, it could put him in a position to make history next year and get farther than he’s ever been before.
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