Earlier this month, Joel Embiid voiced concern at how he was getting less touches on the block following the Philadelphia 76ers' acquisition of Jimmy Butler. That trend has reversed itself of late, and Embiid is happy about it.
"I don't like shooting threes," Embiid said after Saturday's win over the Toronto Raptors, according to ESPN's Tim Bontemps. "I only do it because of the spacing that we have, and sometimes I have to take them."
Embiid is back to being more of an old-school inside monster, averaging 26.4 points and 12.4 boards in his last seven games. After going 0-for-6 from deep against the San Antonio Spurs last Monday, Embiid didn't even take a 3-point shot in the next two games, both decisive Philly wins.
"Mainly the last two games, my mindset has been, if I'm on the perimeter, it doesn't mean that I have to shoot threes ... that's what I'm comfortable with and it's working," he said.
Dislike for the perimeter shot aside, Embiid can be effective at it. His value as a top-10 player comes in his ability to score from anywhere, but his 3-point efficiency has trended downward each of the last three seasons.
