The Philadelphia 76ers couldn’t have gotten off to a much better start. They sit atop the NBA with an 8-1 record, highlighted by wins over last season’s Eastern Conference finalists. The Sixers’ sole loss came against the reigning top-seeded Pistons, with Joel Embiid sidelined.
On Wednesday, the Sixers returned the favor and opened their Midwest road trip with a 112-106 victory in Detroit. Jaylen Brown led all scorers with 30 points and had a clutch transition block on Cade Cunningham with the game in the balance.
Embiid finished with 26 points and 15 rebounds. Not too shabby for someone managing plantar fasciitis. But the former MVP hasn’t been the same three-level scoring threat we’ve grown accustomed to watching.
Through seven games, Embiid is taking a career-low 17.4 percent of his field goals from within three feet and has the second-highest three-point rate (23.9 percent) of his career. Of course, this change in his shot diet can be attributed to Philadelphia’s new star-studded roster that demands sacrifice. However, Embiid has struggled adjusting to his redefined offensive role early on.
“[My] three is just gone for whatever reason,” Embiid told reporters after going 0-for-3 from beyond the arc, “tonight might’ve been the last three I ever take.”
Mixed in with that classic “Troel” remark was some truth: his three-point shot has vanished. After knocking down three triples in the team’s first two games, Embiid has missed his last 16 attempts. His three-point percentage (11.5 percent) is the lowest among all qualified players that average at least three attempts per game.
As a team, the 76ers are middle of the pack in terms of three-point percentage. Remove Embiid’s attempts, and Philadelphia would rank inside the top 10. With that being said, the Sixers must encourage Embiid to continue shooting threes, especially when they’re open.
Embiid is just 2-for-17 on “wide-open” threes this season. That’s unsustainable. He’s shot 40 percent on “wide-open” threes each of the previous three seasons, even when his overall three-point percentage dipped. The attention that LeBron James still commands at 41 should give Embiid more space than ever before.
All hope should not be lost. Embiid’s elite touch from the free-throw line suggests his stroke hasn’t completely abandoned him. He still remains a constant threat from the nail, although his percentages from mid-range have dipped slightly below his career norms.
In the meantime, I’d be interested to see if the Sixers have Embiid focus on shooting from the corners. The seven-time All-Star has attempted just four percent of the three-pointers in his career from the corner, making them at a 36 percent clip. He made his only attempt from the corner this season; it was to beat the halftime buzzer.
