Cade Cunningham's pass being much too soft, Joel Embiid easily recovered the leather to go on a counter-attack. The Sixers pivot led the two-on-one, facing the Pistons player, finally finding Kelly Oubre Jr. for the dunk.
A sequence of excesses well negotiated from the inside, despite a slightly high dribble on his part, reminding us of the difficulty of the gesture for a player of his size.
The reigning MVP has stood out recently in this type of phase of play where, after a rebound is captured, he himself takes care of pulling up the leather to find his playing partners. A bit like Draymond Green, except he's 15 centimeters longer. A principle of play, rarely seen with the native of Cameroon since the start of his career, recommended by Nick Nurse.
“ When he moves up the field, we can get 3-three catch-and-shoots in transition. This is why we encourage it. I'm not sure if I encouraged behind-the-back passes the other night, but I'm sure he'll work them out and incorporate them into his game with a few extra reps “, smiles the Sixers coach.
This refers here to a phase of play against Washington where his pivot wrong-footed Tobias Harris in transition with an unsteady behind-the-back pass. A loss of the ball with no major consequences, because Philadelphia led by more than 30 points at this point in the match.
“ But I think he has the ability to get the ball on the rebound, get it up quickly in transition, take it into the paint and most of the time distribute it from there », Continues the Philadelphia technician, who has already benefited from the passing qualities of a pivot in the past, in Toronto, Marc Gasol. But more on a set game.
“ We love it, we love it. He becomes a better passer. We are 0/3 on passes behind the back. But I think next time we'll start converting them. He knows it, we know it and we will get there », quips De'Anthony Melton, who still took advantage of a successful pass from his pivot to penalize behind the arc in transition.
We remind you that with more than six assists per game, Joel Embiid displays his best career average in this area. More passes, but also more lost balls: after almost four “turnovers” per game, he equaled his worst average since his debut.
| Joel Embiid | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2016-17 | PHL | 31 | 25 | 46.6 | 36.7 | 78.3 | 2.0 | 5.9 | 7.8 | 2.1 | 3.6 | 0.9 | 3.8 | 2.5 | 20.2 |
| 2017-18 | PHL | 63 | 30 | 48.3 | 30.8 | 76.9 | 2.3 | 8.7 | 11.0 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 0.6 | 3.7 | 1.8 | 22.9 |
| 2018-19 | PHL | 64 | 34 | 48.4 | 30.0 | 80.4 | 2.5 | 11.1 | 13.6 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 0.7 | 3.5 | 1.9 | 27.5 |
| 2019-20 | PHL | 51 | 30 | 47.7 | 33.1 | 80.7 | 2.8 | 8.9 | 11.6 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 0.9 | 3.1 | 1.3 | 23.0 |
| 2020-21 | PHL | 51 | 31 | 51.3 | 37.7 | 85.9 | 2.2 | 8.4 | 10.6 | 2.8 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 3.1 | 1.4 | 28.5 |
| 2021-22 | PHL | 68 | 34 | 49.9 | 37.1 | 81.4 | 2.2 | 9.6 | 11.7 | 4.2 | 2.7 | 1.1 | 3.2 | 1.5 | 30.6 |
| 2022-23 ★ | PHL | 66 | 35 | 54.8 | 33.0 | 85.7 | 1.7 | 8.4 | 10.2 | 4.2 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 3.4 | 1.7 | 33.1 |
| 2023-24 | PHL | 20 | 34 | 52.3 | 32.8 | 88.4 | 3.3 | 8.2 | 11.5 | 6.4 | 2.8 | 1.1 | 3.8 | 1.8 | 33.8 |
| Total | 414 | 32 | 50.2 | 33.6 | 82.3 | 2.3 | 8.9 | 11.2 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 0.9 | 3.4 | 1.7 | 27.5 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
