Embiid: 'I got 1 job to do, to carry us'

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid said he has to step up his game after taking just 15 shots - and only 10 after a red-hot first quarter - during the team's Game 1 loss to the Boston Celtics on Monday.

"I've got to do more. I got one job to do, to carry us," Embiid said postgame. "I'm going to need my teammates to help but I got to do more. I've got to take more shots, I've got to be more aggressive, I've got to help my teammates."

Embiid finished with 26 points and 16 rebounds. However, after shooting 5-of-5 in the first quarter, the hulking center shot 3-of-10 across the final three frames as the Celtics worked to deny him the ball in the post. Embiid also finished with a team-high five turnovers.

The big man ranked first among high-volume post-up players this season, averaging 1.1 points per possession on 8.3 post-ups per game, according to the NBA's Advanced Stats.

Embiid averaged only 15.7 shots per game during the regular season, his lowest output since his rookie year in 2016-17, and three shots fewer than last season's average. Additionally, during the 76ers' conference semifinals runs in 2018 and 2019, he hoisted an averaged of 15.6 field-goal attempts per contest.

But with fellow All-Star Ben Simmons sidelined after undergoing knee surgery, Embiid felt that both he and his teammates could do more to maximize his abilities.

"Like I said, I got to be more aggressive," Embiid added. "Maybe we need to call some more plays. I don't know. That's another thing we got to fix going into Game 2. Like I said, I got to be assertive and aggressive and let the game come to me."