Joel Embiid is looking like he might just be back to playing consistent basketball again. After another injury-plagued season that has relegated Embiid to making just 35 appearances, the 30-year-old center has played in the team’s last four games, including 36 minutes last night in a 118-114 win over the Charlotte Hornets. If Embiid is back and healthy, the Philadelphia 76ers go from a potential Play-In team to a major dark horse in the NBA Playoffs, especially with Tyrese Maxey and Paul George also returning to the active roster.
Embiid put up 29 points (8-19 FG) and six rebounds in the 76ers’ win over the Hornets, looking comfortable on the court as the 76ers played one of their most healthy lineups in months. It seems their impressive road win came amongst a hostile audience, as the Hornets announcer Eric Collins made a remark about Embiid that has people upset.
Embiid shot 13 free throws during this game, with a trip to the line at the end of the third quarter prompting Collins to voice his displeasure at Embiid’s tactics for generating opportunities at the line.
“Oh Embiid, good golly. This guy is an absolute merchant. He’s a free-throw merchant.”
Hornets announcer Eric Collins calls Joel Embiid a free throw merchant on live TV 😳
(via @HornetsReddit, h/t @Fullcourtpass)pic.twitter.com/QUokJOkGSJ
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) March 29, 2026
This isn’t the first time Embiid has been referred to as such. His former teammate, Dwight Howard, once complimented Embiid’s ability to ‘flop’ and generate free throws, while there was a time when multiple coaches used their post-game press conference to slam the number of free throws Embiid gets. This includes LA Clippers’ Tyronn Lue and Detroit Pistons’ J.B. Bickerstaff.
If getting to the free-throw line is a skill, Embiid is one of the best at it. He’s shooting 8.7 free throws per game this season despite averaging 31.2 minutes per game. He’s so good at generating free throws that he shot more free throws than Nikola Jokic in the 2023-24 NBA season despite playing just 39 games, compared to Jokic’s 79 games that season.
It’s surprising to see a team announcer make such direct remarks against Embiid’s free-throw shooting, although it’s a sore spot for most opposing teams when they face the 76ers. The Hornets shot 32 free throws on the night compared to the 76ers’ 29 in the game, so it’s not surprising to see some bad feelings linger, although the Hornets generated more opportunities at the line as whole.
This was a great game, with the 76ers being led by their three core stars. Embiid was joined by Maxey, who returned to the court after missing 10 straight games and dropped 26 points (10-18 FG), seven rebounds, and eight assists. George played his second game after a 25-game suspension and had 26 points, 13 rebounds, and four steals.
This was a fantastic night for the 76ers, who’ll be optimistic about securing a top-six Playoff spot over the last eight games of the season, currently half-a-game behind the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds in the East.
The Hornets did put up a great fight, led by Brandon Miller’s 29 points (8-17 FG) and eight rebounds. LaMelo Ball had 20 points and eight rebounds while Coby White came off the bench to contribute 16 points (6-11 FG). Unfortunately, rookie Kon Knueppel stumbled with an 11-point (3-14 FG) night but did manage to grab 11 rebounds as well.
Collins is beloved by Hornets fans as well as NBA fans around the world, so it’s surprising to see him make such a pointed take. Home announcers don’t love any team more than their own team, so maybe this moment can be attributed to passion for the franchise, which came out in a bad way against Embiid in a close game.
