For only the second time in his career, Joel Embiid didn’t get a free throw attempt in a regular season game. After the loss against the Miami Heat, the big man thought that was a first. But it was not. The previous time he didn’t shoot a free throw all night was on February 9th, 2018, vs. the New Orleans Pelicans.
With the loss, the Philadelphia 76ers hit rock bottom and are now tied with the Washington Wizards for the worst record in the league. They have lost four in a row, and the last loss came with both Paul George and Embiid in the lineup.
Joel Embiid Breaks His Free Throw Streak
Per Bleacher Report, this is only the second time in Joel’s career that he has shot zero free throws. The last one came in 2018, and he has led the league in free throw attempts since. For the past three seasons, Embiid has averaged more than 11 free throws per game. He averaged 11.8, 11.7, and 11.6 attempts for the past three seasons. Shooting free throws at a rate higher than 80%, those are all easy buckets for the big man.
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Joel Embiid Admits His Mistakes
Following the loss against the Miami Heat, a game in which he had only 11 points, Embiid took the blame. It was an abysmal loss and one that proved the 76ers will need more than just health to get back to winning days. They led 46-27 at one point in the second quarter. Then after the third quarter, the score was 88-72 for Miami, a 61-26 run. That kind of run is inexcusable for a championship-contending team.
Talking to the media after the game, Embiid said,
“We know where we are at, and we know we got to do better. We sure will. It is unacceptable and something is gonna be done about it. We’ll be fine. It starts with the best player, always having a mindset of, you know, it’s not alarming. I have that mindset. PG has that mindset, just having our mindset because I feel eases a lot of guys”.
He also took a subtle shot at the refs. When asked about Miami’s advantage in free throw attempts, he said,
“I don’t know. I took zero free throws. That must be a first.”
How Important Are Free Throws For Embiid?
When Joel Embiid is aggressive, it creates opportunities for the whole team. As previously stated, he has averaged 11+ attempts per game for the last three seasons. Some Nuggets fans might say that free throw attempts are the reason he won the MVP versus Nikola Jokic two years ago. That year, Joel averaged 33 points, 11.7 FT attempts, and 10.2 rebounds. Jokic, on the other hand, averaged 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, 9.8 assists, and only 6 free throw attempts per game.
Embiid currently ranks third all-time with 10.1 free throw attempts per game. Wilt Chamberlain is the all-time leader at 11.4 per game. Ultimately, Embiid typically gets to the line at a historic rate, but since returning from injury, he hasn’t been the same he will have to amp up his aggression to help turn the Sixers’ season around.
