Sixers star Joel Embiid details his unguardable moves in the post
The traditional moves of a big man are a lost art in today’s NBA. The big men of today are shooting more from distance and using a finesse game instead of their power.
Philadelphia 76ers star big man Joel Embiid is one of the few who is able to use both.
Embiid put up 50 points in Friday’s win over the Chicago Bulls in a display seldom seen from one of the game’s best players regardless of position. He shot 17-for-26 from the floor, and he did so with a variety of moves in the post.
Embiid caught the ball, faced-up a defender and went to work. Once he was faced up with his opponent, he either shot over them or backed them down and went to work. The face-up game is not really seen from the game’s big men.
“At the end, that’s what makes me unguardable,” said Embiid. “If you’re gonna crowd me, I’m gonna find my way to the free-throw line, or I’m gonna end up at the basket. And if you’re gonna back up on me. I got that hesitation shot, and I also got my favorite, just a pull-up shot, or just the easy shot that I always get in the post.”
When one combines all of what he has to offer when it comes to his size, his skill and his strength, he really is one of the toughest covers in the game. If you play him aggressively, he’s going to use that against you and get to the foul line as he did 17 times on Friday.
His improvement against double teams both as a scorer and a passer is going to come in handy come playoff time.
“It’s hard when you got that much and also off the dribble,” Embiid added. “Just dribbling the ball and just making things happen, and I’ve been adding a lot to my game. It’s been working well, but I’m excited, because that’s what you need in the playoffs, especially when you’ve got to play a team four to seven times, and they’re gonna game plan.”
He is absolutely right about that. Once the playoffs roll around, teams are going to send waves of defenders at him to try to stop him. They are not going to be deterred just by him having this much success in the regular season. The playoffs are a different story.
“Sometimes, I’m gonna have to shoot over double teams, sometimes I gotta pass, sometimes I gotta figure out how to play through the two doubles and triple teams and those type of shots, you can’t guard it,” he added. “You can’t guard a step back, you can’t guard a catch and shoot shot. I think it’s gonna go a long way.”
The way Embiid is playing right now and how he is able to continue to make strides forward as a player, he is looking like he can have a long career as long as he takes care of his body. The offensive game he is developing has been magnificent.
“I think also those shots, it’s gonna help me also play for the next 10 to 15 years,” he finished.
For the sake of the Sixers, they hope all of those years will be in Philadelphia.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
