Joel Embiid reveals what’s behind alarming 3-point shooting slump as 76ers star searches for answers originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Joel Embiid is dealing with unexpected shooting woes.
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The 76ers center and 2023 NBA MVP is shooting a career-worst 10.7% from three-point range through his first of the season. Embiid’s last made three-pointer was with 0.7 seconds left in the first half of the Sixers‘ home-opening victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Oct. 22. Since then, the seven-time All-Star has missed 17 consecutive attempts.
As a result, he’s shooting 3-for-28 on threes.
His poor shooting is unfathomable for a player who shot 33.9% from three-point range in 490 career games before this season.
Embiid had one of his all-around performances of the season in a rematch with the Cavs on Friday. He finished with a season-low six points while missing all nine field-goal attempts, including both three-point tries.
But his drought from deep remains a hot topic.
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So what’s the difference?
“I think the way I’m jumping, and my hands [placement] are just not what it used to be,” Embiid said to the media. “I just have to go back and look at the clips and see what we can change and … get better.”
The 32-year-old said he’s jumping differently because he played just 57 games over the previous two seasons due to injuries.
“I think it’s obviously being out basically the last two years, being in and out, not really having the opportunity to get on the court as much … to get the reps,” he said. “The load that we try to manage. It’s probably a difference between the last couple of years. … I used to be able to get in the gym every single day, just getting the reps in, working on it. That’s why it was so automatic.
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“Now you got to find a way to kind of mix it up, because you got to manage your load. So you don’t get as much reps as possible.”
Embiid knows he’ll have to adjust. The 11-year veteran said he’s going to keep working and hopes it gets better.
But this is a tough situation for one of the league’s best players.
“I believe in myself,” he said, “but when you’re in these moments, and nothing is going in … it’s hard not to look at yourself and be down.”
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
