Kirk Goldsberry shared an incredible shot chart that shows just how complete 76ers star Joel Embiid’s game has been this season.
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Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic have officially brought the big man back in fashion in the NBA. Both players have been phenomenal so far this season.
But while the Denver Nuggets star is considered to be the more complete player of the two, Troel is nothing to sneeze at either. He has been a terror on the defensive end of the floor, acting as the ferocious centerpiece to one of the best defenses in the NBA.
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Additionally, though, he also ranks third this season in the scoring category. Essentially, he is going almost toe-to-toe with Jokic on the offensive end, while outclassing him completely on the other side of the floor.
Elite shooters around him have helped Embiid massively this season. In fact, a recent shot chart by ESPN revealed just how much the player has benefitted from the moves made by Daryl Morey last off-season.
“Joel Embiid is posting up as an individual more per game than 27 teams.”: Kirk Goldsberry
Daryl Morey needs to be acknowledged as one of the best GMs in NBA history. Some of his takes can be wildly erratic at times, but the fact of the matter is, the man produces results.
When he became President of Basketball Operations for the 76ers, he essentially fixed them overnight. He got rid of players that didn’t fit the style of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, instead bringing in elite shooters in Seth Curry and Danny Green. And almost instantly, the franchise went from talented but troubled, to bona fide title contenders.
This positive progression especially shows in Embiid’s game this season. His offense has been more efficient than ever before because he has been allowed to be himself far more than earlier seasons. To prove this here is a shot chart and eye-opening stat recently tweeted by ESPN writer Kirk Goldsberry.
Joel Embiid is posting up as an individual more per game than 27 teams.
Oh, and look at that midrange https://t.co/m3TYvH946s pic.twitter.com/diQBXjsRHO
— Kirk Goldsberry (@kirkgoldsberry) May 6, 2021
Indeed, the spaced-out floor has allowed Joel Embiid to dominate within the pain. But it needs to be mentioned that the player has also improved his bag on the offensive end.
The 76ers star has made his jumper that much better this season. This has resulted in him shooting 54.1% on 2s, which is the best we’ve seen from him. He is also hitting 36.3% from three, just behind his 2016-17 season, where he hit a career best 36.7%.
Nikola Jokic may be the frontrunner in this race. But Joel Embiid isn’t far behind him.
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