Three Normal Things: Sixers Vs. Cavaliers
Three things to take away from the game from Sixers Adam.
Adam Aaronson, whose legal name is Sixers Adam (@SixersAdam on Twitter), covers the Sixers for The Rights To Ricky Sanchez. He has been legally banned from covering the team in person, and when that ban was set to be lifted, Covid-19 struck. He believes cantaloupe is the best food in existence, and is brought to you by the Official Realtor of The Process, Adam Ksebe.
Welcome to the second edition of Three Normal Things! Here’s what jumped out to me in tonight’s game against the Cavaliers — and given that you’re probably bummed out right about now, I’ll try to focus on the positives.
Observation #1: Ben Simmons, excellent finisher
Just a few weeks ago, Simmons would not even do as much as look at the rim for games at a time. But recently, he’s looked like an entirely different person. Ben is putting his head down and driving his way to the basket with sheer force and strength. In turn, his offense has gone from a minus to a major plus.
Because of his adjusted approach, Simmons has been significantly more successful as a driver and finisher. Over the last few seasons, Ben has experimented here and there with a running hook shot that looks incredibly difficult, but now seems to have permanently added it to his arsenal. If he can continue to make that shot, it will make his post game exponentially better, and in turn add a new layer to the Sixers’ offense.
Observation #2: Danny’s Green Light vs. Seth at a yellow
See what I did there?
Seth Curry is this team’s best shooter by a significant margin. But is he their most valuable one as far as gravity goes? Curry does not own the fastest release, which often causes him trouble against contests. When Seth has a defender trying to run him off the line he concedes, often passing up the three for a much less efficient chance at two.
While Curry’s occasional hesitance to take contested threes remains an issue, there is no such problem for Danny Green, who has made a career out of being ready to fire away at any given second.
Green entered tonight shooting a career-high 5.9 three-point attempts per game. On a team full of slow, methodical decision-makers, having Green ready to launch is a very healthy thing.
Observation #3: Joel Embiid back to his ways
After a brutal three-game stretch from the field against Toronto (twice) and Dallas, Embiid returned to his MVP-caliber form tonight, finishing the game with 42 points on 13-22 shooting from the field and excellent 14-16 from the free throw line. On top of that, Embiid had a nice night as a passer, dishing out five assists.
Regardless of how the game went, seeing him in his element again was a nice breath of fresh air.
How about this for a stat: in 12 games in the month of February, there has only been one time in which Joel Embiid shot less than 10 free throws. In that one game, he shot 9-9.
Embiid is continuing to produce offensively at a level that is almost unparalleled in NBA history. His brilliance as a foul-drawer, excellence as a foul-shooter and ridiculous skill as a face- and post-up scorer make up one of the league’s most uncommon skill-sets. Even after a dumb loss, let’s all be grateful we get to watch a player like this.
