“Andre Drummond was bad but he got great at free throws through hard work”: Joel Embiid throws subtle shade at Ben Simmons while praising his new teammate and former Pistons All-Star

Joel Embiid praised Andre Drummond for his free throw shooting with a choice of words that Ben Simmons should take note of.

It is safe to say that Andre Drummond hasn’t isn’t the talent everyone hoped he would one day be. However, that doesn’t mean that Drummond has spent his time in the league merely resting on his physical abilities.

The former Pistons big man has made concerted efforts to improve other parts of his game. They may not always have made sense – his fascination with 3-pointers and long jumpers is still a bit jarring. But the drive is undeniable, and in certain areas, it has shone through.

Andre was on course to be the worst high-volume free throw shooter in league history at one point. He was hitting numbers like 35% for multiple seasons during his rookie contract years.

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However, with his work ethic and focus on making freebies, Drummond is now hitting a much more respectable percentage of them. He upped his percentage from 38.6% in 2016-17 to a career-high 60.5% the following year. Ever since then, he’s been around the 60% mark.

Joel Embiid throws subtle shade at Ben Simmons while praising Andre Drummond for his free throw improvement

While speaking to reporters following Day 3 of training camp, Embiid made light of his past animosity with Andre Drummond. He noted the former Pistons big man’s commitment to improving his skillset with the following statement:

“As far as Andre, we know what he is. A great rebounder. He’s got great hands. He can pass the ball, and we’re challenging him to get to the free-throw line and make more.”

“Especially over the years he’s gotten better, but as we know a couple years ago, he was a bad one. Through hard work, he’s gotten better so that’s great.”

You’ll note that he’s alluded to his teammate’s past weakness at free-throw shooting. And it was Simmons’ form from the free-throw line that led to him becoming totally averse to attacking the bucket during the Hawks series.

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If Simmons is watching and reading all of this Sixers coverage, he should take note of how Drummond earned his teammate’s praise. He might want to earn the same compliments, wherever he ends up playing eventually.