“James Harden and Joel Embiid aren’t even top 10 without their free throws”: Veteran coach Ty Lue can’t hide his bitterness after the Clips drop 5 straight 

Arjun Julka | 26/03/2022
"James Harden and Joel Embiid aren't even top 10 without their free throws": Veteran coach Ty Lue can't hide his bitterness after the Clips drop 5 straight 

LA Clippers coach Ty Lue believes James Harden and Joel Embiid thrive on free throws, adding that the superstar duo wouldn’t even be in the league’s top 10 scorers hadn’t it been for their trips to the foul line.

Post their blowout loss to the Sixers at home, Clippers head coach Ty Lue fired some shots at James Harden and Joel Embiid. Coach Ty seemed frustrated with the officiating and was bitter about the Philly duo getting numerous trips to the free-throw line.

Harden and Embiid combined for 19 trips to the free-throw line, making 18 of them in the win against the Clips. Post his exit from Brooklyn, Harden, is averaging close to 10 FTA per game. Before being traded to Philly, The Beard was making 8.0 FTA this season.

On the other hand, MVP frontrunner Embiid is averaging (career-high) 11.8 FTA per game this season. The seven-foot center is no.1 this season when it comes to paying visits to the foul line. Unlike the traditional bigs, Embiid is highly efficient from the FT line.

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The Sixers had a comfortable win over the Clippers on Friday night, with Embiid and Harden having a gala time at the FT line. However, this didn’t sit too well with coach Ty.

Ty Lue questions the scoring abilities of James Harden and Joel Embiid.

Earlier this season, Harden faced a lot of heat in light of his shooting slump. Many believed, the former MVP’s struggles were due to the league’s anti-foul baiting rule. However, his tenure in Philly has brought back his lost luck when it comes to his ability to draw fouls.

The basketball gods seem to be favoring the Sixers All-Star duo, who are savants when it comes to sinking shots from the FT line. Harden is shooting free throws at an efficiency rate of 88.9% since his arrival in Philly. On the other hand, Embiid is 82.0% this season.

The Clippers have lost their last 5-consecutive games and Coach Ty’s frustration was evident with his recent comments on Harden and Embiid.

“Embiid is no.1 in the league in free throws and James Harden is no.3, you take away their free throws and neither guy would be top-10 in scoring.”

The Sixers defeated the Clips 122-97 and even if you take Harden’s and Embiid’s free throws away, they still win by 7-points.

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Well, it won’t be wrong to say that coach Ty is longing for Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to be back on the team.

 

Post Edited By: Arjun Julka
James Harden Joel Embiid Philadelphia 76ers Ty Lue

About the author

Arjun Julka

Arjun Julka is a NBA author at The SportsRush. Basketball isn’t just a sport for this 26-year-old, who hails from Mumbai. He began watching the sport after stumbling upon a court in his society, helping him identify an undiscovered passion for the game of hoops. Now an ardent fan, Arjun supports Stephen Curry and the Warriors but also enjoys watching Giannis Antetokounmpo own the paint. When it comes to the GOAT debate, the TSR author feels LeBron James is yet to receive a lot of his due but cannot deny marveling at Michael Jordan’s resume.

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