Philadelphia 76ers star big man Joel Embiid is one of the elite scorers in the game. He can do it all. He can beat defenders off the dribble. He can score in the low block with a large assortment of post moves. He gets to the free-throw line. He also knocks down 3-pointers.
He does all that at 7 feet tall. It’s absolutely ridiculous what he does on a nightly basis.
However, NBA legendary big man Hakeem Olajuwon, the godfather of post moves, is confused by why Embiid settles for 3s with all of the skills he has in the low block.
Olajuwon told Sports Illustrated’s Chris Ballard:
Take Embiid. Olajuwon likes him and has given him advice, but he has questions. “He’s got all the moves, but leveraging the moves is different. Why would he be shooting 3s?” Olajuwon asks. “He has the advantage every night, and if I have the advantage, I’m going to wear you out.”
But 3s? “That’s settling! When I’m tired, I settle. You don’t settle when you’re trying to win. You don’t start the game settling!”
Olajuwon, of course, is not the first retired big man to question Embiid’s offensive game, but the game in 2023 is not how it was during Olajuwon’s heyday. Embiid is shooting 35.2% from deep, and he’s shooting 43.1% from deep over his last 17 games.
The older generation will agree with Olajuwon’s take, but at the end of the day, a big man has to do everything on the floor and Embiid certainly does.
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