Philadelphia 76ers: Exploring new go-to play possibilities
Embiid ISO in the post
The most obvious play which puts Embiid close to the basket, the Sixers have not opted to run this as much as usual since the Jimmy Butler trade. Part of it has to do with Embiid’s fatigue level since he plays the 23rd-most minutes in the NBA, and part of it has to do with Brett Brown’s desire to work Jimmy Butler into the offense.
Regardless of Butler’s presence, Embiid receives plenty of chances to play bully ball each game as he averages 9.8 post ups per game, behind only LaMarcus Aldridge, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Kevin Love.
Aldridge, Towns, and Love are all the clear first option on their teams, but with the addition of Butler, Embiid still is the go-to guy, but he has to give up touches to involve Butler and Simmons. Even though Embiid has better teammates than the other high-volume low-post players, he should receive as many opportunities because he has played like an MVP candidate this season.
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In addition to averaging the fourth-most post-ups in the league, Embiid also leads the NBA in free throw attempts per game with 10.4. He goes to the line often as a result of his play in the post, so Brown needs to let him put the team on his back and go one-on-one with a defender because more often than not, those situations end in favor of the best center in the league.