‘What would you do if you had Shaq’: Sixers’ Daryl Morey compares Joel Embiid to Lakers’ Shaquille O’Neal

Credited with leading the analytics revolution and the 3-point shooting explosion the NBA, Daryl Morey will deal with things differently at the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Houston Rockets became the most prolific 3-point shooting team in the league once they acquired James Harden. During Morey’s time in Houston, they steadily increased their shot attempts from range every year. This led to them having some of the most efficient offenses in league history.

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Joel Embiid is no Shaq. He’s more of a Hakeem and that says a lot. pic.twitter.com/KWzTOCrL9P

— Sixers Nation (@SixersNationCP) August 24, 2020

Newly appointed as the Sixers’ President of Basketball Operation, Morey faces a new challenge. It comprises of trying to work out a fit for his two All Stars, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. The duo do not exactly have complementary skillsets, but have been relatively successful together.

Daryl Morey wants to establish Joel Embiid as a dominant post player, buck the trend in the NBA

Speaking to Bryan Toporek of Forbes, Morey pointed out how he needed to adjust his approach to the strengths of his roster.

“The goal is to not shoot three-pointers, the goal is to win. You can score on offense in a whole bunch of different ways. Joel happens to be one of the most efficient post-up players in the league.”

“I used to get the question in Houston, ‘What would you do if you had Shaq?’ And my answer was: ‘I would give Shaq the ball about 100 times a game.’”

“Joel is a talent on both ends. We played the way we played in Houston because that was the best way to utilize the talents we had in Houston.”

Also Read: ‘Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid can’t win the title together?’: Sixers’ Daryl Morey addresses concerns on duo’s chemistry

New Sixers head coach Doc Rivers is one of the most hands-off coaches in the NBA. He allows his players to play to their strengths. The expectation from Rivers and the Sixers would be to establish an offensive system that gives Embiid unprecedented reign to operate from the post.