Philadelphia 76ers: Is Joel Embiid’s 3-point shot a concern?

Joel Embiid struggled to find consistency in his 3-point shot in his sophomore season for the 76ers. Should this be a concern coming into the 2018-19 season?

The beauty to Joel Embiid‘s offensive game is the plethora of skills and moves he has to score from anywhere on the floor. A three-point shot is something that most bigs don’t utilize, but Embiid has made it a part of his game to stretch the floor for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Embiid’s shooting stroke is so smooth for a 7-footer but he got a little happy with it last season, struggling from beyond the arc, shooting 30.8 percent. In 63 games, Joel made 66 three-pointers. He attempted four 3-pointers per game last year and 20 percent of his total attempts were from deep. Should his struggling three-ball be a concern for the 76ers?

Compared to other NBA centers, Embiid’s three-point numbers are not bad. Only three true centers took at least 200 threes in the NBA last season. Nikola Vucevic (31.4 percent), Marc Gasol (34.1 percent), and Brook Lopez (34.5 percent). 30.8 percent is not where Brett Brown or Embiid wants his three, but I do not see it as permanent. Embiid sitting at 30.8 percent is not too far off. Also, considering it is his third NBA season, all he will do is improve his jump shot and take smarter, more efficient shots.

The cornerstone to Joel Embiid’s game is his post-game. Not a single person in the league dominates the block on offense like Embiid. Him also being able to shoot from outside helps it as well. Even though Joel struggled last season from three, the reason he uses the jumper is to keep defenses guessing.

He uses his pump fake as a way to get his defenders off their feet to blow past them to dunk or get an easier shot inside the paint. As long as Embiid keeps improving from deep and can hit the three occasionally, defenders will have to go out and guard him, which only helps his game.

In the video above, Embiid catches the ball at the top of the key and Al Horford has to run out to close him off in case he shoots it, so Embiid blows by Al for the poster jam. Defenders also bite a lot on his pump fakes from three and mid range which allows him to either drive for the slam or get by the defender and get better post position for an easier bucket.

Joel Embiid’s 30.8 percent are not all from smart shots.  Embiid can easily improve his efficiency from deep. Embiid tends to shoot threes out of rhythm when the offense is moving the ball around or when he is trailing in transition. Embiid attempted four three-pointers per game during the 2017-18 season. That seems pretty high especially when shooting at the percent he did. Embiid can take fewer threes and shoot smarter, more efficient threes, which will help him and his team out.

Sixers fans should not be worried at all with Embiid’s jumper. It is as smooth and beautiful as any I have seen from a guy standing 7-foot-2. A  common trend (that is not always accurate) that NBA scouts use for prospects is looking at their free-throw percentage to predict how their jumper will progress. Embiid shot over 77 percent from the charity stripe during his first two seasons. With a solid mid-range game already and a promising three ball, there is no reason to suggest it will not improve.

This season I expect BIG things from Embiid. This was his first offeason without rehab and limitations, so it was full-on grind. His post game will improve and become more dominant like it does every year, as well as an improved jumper. I see Embiid having similar shooting numbers to Marc Gasol, shooting an efficient 34 percent.

Joel Embiid has only played in 94 regular season games so the rhythm of his three-pointers and jump shot is still in its early stages. In those 94 games, he has already imposed himself as one of the two best centers in the NBA. Embiid’s dominance will be displayed and his three-point shot will improve.

(All stats via Basketball-Reference.com and Cleaning The Glass)