Joel Embiid: Sixers need 'better game plan' of doubling Kawhi Leonard
Joel Embiid wants the Philadelphia 76ers to try a new strategy after Kawhi Leonard scored 45 points to lead the Toronto Raptors to victory in Game 1.
When asked about Sixers coach Brett Brown’s game plan, Embiid offered that his team should look to double Leonard the same way that the Raptors doubled him. After all, Leonard scored on just about everyone the Sixers threw at him, and he finished the night shooting 16-of-23 from the field.
“Next time maybe just like they are doing to me and double-teaming me. Throw some double-teams and have a better game plan,” Embiid said after Game 1.
Philadelphia has two of the best wing defenders in the league between Ben Simmons and Jimmy Butler, but neither player was able to meet the challenge. Leonard shot 5-of-6 for 16 points in 24 possessions against Butler, and he dropped another 10 points in 27 possessions on Simmons.
Leonard wasn’t the only issue as Pascal Siakam also had an ultra-efficient night with 29 points on 12-of-15 shooting. Again, the Sixers tried to handle Siakam without sending help, but Siakam physically overwhelmed both Butler and Tobias Harris around the basket.
Brown, however, appears hesitant to commit extra bodies. He has repeatedly pointed out that the Raptors are the best 3-point shooting team by percentage since the All-Star break, and they also have willing playmakers who will make the extra pass, meaning that it’s a pick-your-poison scenario. Instead, Brown believes that mixing up coverages will be the best way to combat the Raptors.
“They have the NBA's best three-point shooting team ... So you usually get back into a steady diet. You want to avoid maybe a steady diet of a similar look, these guys are that good, so if you can maybe keep people guessing and a little more off balance that's where the adjustments have the most effectiveness,” Brown said after practice on Sunday.
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