“Players in the 50s Were Foul Merchants”: Defending Joel Embiid and James Harden, JJ Redick Goes at NBA Legends for Dodgy Offensive Numbers

It’s no secret that JJ Redick hates the comparisons between modern-day players and players from the bygone eras. Though JJ has openly claimed that he respects and appreciates the players who came before him, he has also openly stated that the players of this generation are better than those of other eras due to the evolution of basketball.

Recently, Bleacher Report’s NBA writer Andy Bailey posted an interesting set of facts that caught the eye of JJ Reddick on X. Bailey posted a list of players among the top 50 pts/game scorers, who had most of their points come from the foul line.

This got me thinking. So, among the top 50 PTS/gm scorers in NBA history, here are the top five in percentage of total points that came from the free-throw line:

Paul Arizin (30.80%)
George Mikan (30.21%)
Joel Embiid (30.04%)
James Harden (29.78%)
Bob Pettit (29.61%) https://t.co/pzKpUZzvjM

— Andy Bailey (@AndrewDBailey) November 27, 2023

Responding to the post, JJ Redick tweeted, “No one talks about how players in the ’50s were foul merchants.”

The list shared by Andy Bailey featured three players from the ’50s, further supporting JJ’s point. But surprisingly enough, both  Joel Embiid and James Harden both appeared on the list as well, with 30.04% and 29.78% of their points coming from free throws. However, the list was topped by 50s players like Paul Arizin and George Mikan who both surpassed the former 76ers duo in points scored from the free-throw line.

JJ’s comments may seem like he is pointing fingers at players who played before him, but it isn’t quite like that. The art of drawing fouls is surely something that has not been recently invented, as putting your opposition in foul trouble has been present in the NBA long enough.

With the NBA turning into more of a scoring league, players like Harden and Embiid are often called floppers and ‘soft’. However, Redick rightly pointed out that even players in the 50s were privy to these tactics, as their free throw numbers show.

Does Embiid need to stop flopping?

Joel Embiid recently won his first Most Valuable Player Award. Embiid is a career 82.2% free throw shooter, thus making sense why the big man would prefer to go to the line often. But many NBA fans have called out Embiid for his excessive flopping. Though it might not be clear if Embiid flops or not, he has often been criticized for not being aggressive enough in the paint, often settling for the foul on most occasions.

Fans may criticise the veteran star for flopping, but starting this season, the NBA has made rules changes to prevent the same. The new rule states that when a player is called for a flop, they will receive a non-unsportsmanlike technical foul, while also allowing the opposition team to shoot one free throw.

With the league’s referees becoming more vigilant this year, it would be foolish for any player to flop. But with the game becoming faster and more complex, flopping as a whole can’t be eliminated from the system.