There are many topics to discuss after Monday night’s embarrassment in Miami. The Sixers blew a 19-point lead, Kyle Lowry is washed, Nick Nurse is doing God-knows-what, and Jared McCain is the only player performing at an above-average level. Joel Embiid was touch and go for this game, but ended up playing 31 minutes. He was a -22, scoring 11 points on 5 for 11 shooting and while grabbing eight rebounds and tossing five assists. He finished 0 for 0 from the foul line and did not attempt a single free throw for the first time in more than five seasons:

The game in question was February 9th, 2018, a 100 to 82 home win against the New Orleans Pelicans. Embiid went for 24 and 16 on 11 for 18 shooting, while the Sixers only shot nine free throws all night. Trying to recall that one from memory, I think it was during that stretch in which he owned Anthony Davis, and therefore probably got whatever he wanted en route to not being fouled. There have been games in later years where he only took one free throw, but not donuts, and he has never finished a playoff game with zero free throws.

This is is, of course, critical to his game. During his MVP season, 2022-2023, he averaged 11.7 free throws per game and was second in the NBA behind Giannis. Per 36 minutes, it would have been 12.2 FTA, and the crazy thing is that he shot 85.7% from the charity stripe, which was better than Luka Doncic, Jimmy Butler, and Jayson Tatum, just to name a few other non-big stars with a similar number of trips to the line.

What’s he been doing in these recent games? Setting screens, hovering around the three point line, and taking some mid-range jumpers. 13 of his 37 field goal attempts are three pointers and only 11 of his shots have come from inside the paint:

Time to figure it out, because it’s almost Thanksgiving and the Sixers are 2-11 and tied for last in the East.