The Philadelphia 76ers dropped another close contest, this time to the Los Angeles Lakers. Back at home, they managed to string together three quarters of relatively solid basketball, but a putrid showing in the third frame put them in a precarious position as the visitors pulled away for the win.
Joel Embiid, who played in his second straight non-back to back game, was an absolute mess in this one. In 30 minutes of game play, he could only muster 16 points and seven rebounds, thanks in large part to him draining just four of his 21 shots from the fieldwhile also misfiring on all seven of his three-point tries. It was easily one of his worst regular season games ever.
Had Embiid shot the ball better, the 76ers could have even won convincingly. Instead, he looked really iffy on his shot attempts, constantly forcing the issue and playing without much energy. However, to be frank, the 76ers should have seen this one coming from the former MVP.
Joel Embiid continues to struggle thanks to his complete lack of rhythm
In three games since returning from a nine-game absence caused by some soreness in his right knee, Embiid looked like he wasnot capable of throwing a rock into the ocean. He had drained just 31.3 percent of his field goal attempts during that span, all while missing all 14 of his attempts from rainbow country.
Prior to that, Embiid looked pretty dominant on the scoring end despite his stern minutes restriction. So why the sudden struggles? Well, the answer is easy — rhythm (or a lack thereof).
As good as he is as an individual scorer, a long layoff from real hardwood action will definitely hamper him, especially given his play style. Furthermore, he is trying to score from outside and the mid-range zone area much more. He attempted just four of his 21 shots inside the restricted area, converting on just two of those 17 tries.
Unlike his early stretch to begin the season, where he was a positive force for the most part, he is once again trying to find himself in the offense. The wind-up he had from the preseason is no longer, and he has returned to the adjustment phase.
As long as Embiid keeps missing stretches of the season, the team should reasomably expect him to struggle with his shot. That is just how his current profile projects at this juncture, and they have no other choice but to deal with it.