If Doc Rivers failed to win the Sixers the title in three seasons in Philadelphia (he never even reached the conference finals) at least the one who was recently fired to be replaced by Nick Nurse has makes progress Joel Embiid.
Indeed, under the orders of the 2008 champion, the pivot was twice the league’s top scorer and above all MVP of the regular season in 2022/23. But how to make him pass the last course, that of champion, which Nikola Jokic has just crossed?
“First, he must be in good health”believes Doc Rivers in the bill simmons podcast. “In the playoffs this year, he was healthier than usual, but not 100%. His statistics in the playoffs for three years are quite unfair. Because yes, they are worse than those in the regular season. But if you look, the first year, he hurt his knee. The second, he is hit in the face and the ligaments of the hand. This year, he has a knee injury. So health is the first thing. »
What’s the second?
“His ability to make others better. He has the ability, he has done some matches this season. He has to do it constantly. Not just on the pitch, but off it as well. He has to spend time with his teammates, show them that he loves them. Over the past three years, I’ve seen Embiid improve in this area, but this is his next step: to make his teammates better. When he does, and I think he will succeed, he will be very hard to stop. »
Joel Embiid needs a voice
PJ Tucker, who changed the Cameroonian a bit, had already mentioned the rather distant attitude of the All-Star, who is not a big fan of dinners in town with his teammates. Doc Rivers has an explanation for this.
“I think we forget how young he is,” advances the former Clippers coach, while Joel Embiid is still 29 years old. “We also forget that, his first two years, he did not play. When you spend two years in your corner, not playing, it sets the tone. Ben Simmons went through the same thing, with his first year on the bench. I fought when I got here for Embiid to play on such and such a night. Now he does and he’s passed the mark. »
Last observation of the former Sixers coach: the star needs a player capable of getting into him.
“You need a player, and James Harden has done it a bit, who talks. It’s necessary. We need another dominant player in the locker room. So if Joel doesn’t do something, then that player will tell him and Embiid will listen. »
| Joel Embiid | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 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 |
| Total | 394 | 32 | 50.1 | 33.7 | 81.9 | 2.2 | 8.9 | 11.2 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 0.9 | 3.4 | 1.7 | 27.2 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
