After his stellar Game 1, James Harden seems to have collapsed in these conference semifinals. The guard has signed a 5/28 shooting from him in the last two games that has prevented him from having a positive impact on them, and the 76ers have suffered suffering two losses that have put the tie uphill for them. In this context, Joel Embiid was asked about what could be done to help La Barba recover the best version of him, before which the center considered that he must continue to find ways to have an impact even without scoring.
“You have to talk to him and tell him to keep shooting, to be more aggressive,” he commented. «You cannot come too high or too low. Some nights you’re going to hit really tough shots and some nights you’re going to miss them, and when that happens you need to find other ways to impact the game.”
Joel was also asked about Tyrese Maxey, who, although more in the background, is also having trouble being efficient. His advice to him, however, was pretty much the opposite.
“Obviously he has to stay aggressive and find his zones, but Robert Williams is a great defender and blocker, so it can be a little unwise to always drive towards him. You can score sometimes, but with his athleticism he will most likely end up blocking the shot or at least altering it. I think you have to stay calm and play at a better pace instead of just speeding up and attacking. I think that has been a problem. We must not panic, we have to calm down.”
Finally, Embiid wanted to exonerate Doc Rivers, stating that a coach can have an impact on the game but that in the end it is the responsibility of the players that everything that is raised from the bench is carried out.
«I think that the players have to appear. I have to do my job, and everyone knows what their role is and what their job is. Obviously, you can make all the adjustments you want, but if the players don’t execute them, we don’t perform well and we don’t hit the shots, it’s going to be our fault,” he concluded.
(Cover photo: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
2023-05-06 07:00:00
#Embiid #asks #Harden #aggressive
