Here's a Dumb Joel Embiid Take

Context being provided here by the Twitter account @ProvideContext:

Embiid has been amazing, but don’t forget he has averaged 13.25 FTs over the last 4 games.

To put it into perspective, if Lebron averaged 13.25 FTs per game over his last 18 games, then he would average 38 ppg over that span, rather than the measly 32.5. https://t.co/WwZSb79jKe

— Letting Go (@ProvideContext) January 27, 2022

Huh?

Embiid is being fouled by defenders because they can’t stop him. That’s your context.

Getting to the line is a skill in itself, and we’re not talking 2020 Trae Young-esque “lean into the shooter and embellish contact.” They abolished all of that via the rule change. We’re talking about a dominant seven footer with a well-rounded game bullying defenders and drawing contact and out-muscling everybody else in the process. Embiid gets to the line 11.9 times per 36 minutes and makes 82% of his free throws. Giannis also gets to the line 11.9 times per 36, but I don’t see a lot of other context providers on Twitter pointing out that he’s frequently standing at the nail. Giannis shoots 72% from the line and the only other big getting to the line more than seven times per 36 is Rudy Gobert, who is a 69% free throw shooter.

There were bulldozer-type centers back in the day who got the line a ton. Shaquille O’Neal. Dwight Howard. But they were extremely limited offensive players compared to what you see from a guy like Embiid. Just going back through the non-free throw points he scored in this four-game stretch you get this:

He’s shot 57.7% from the floor over the last four games. 104 field goal attempts, 60 made. He is hitting three pointers, face ups, and foul line jumpers. He’s rolling and popping and running the floor. Dude literally does it all.

So in addition to that above tweet constituting a pointless and dumb take, it also minimizes everything else Embiid does on the offensive end.