Trust the Process? Trust in Joel Embiid
Become the cornerstone of your team with these post moves
It has been a long time since basketball fans in Philadelphia were excited about their local professional franchise. They’ve had excellent luck in the college ranks, with Villanova, Temple, and St. Joe’s all producing solid teams year after year (and of course, a National Championship out of Villanova in 2016). But 76ers fans had seemingly lost hope after a string of losing seasons and early draft picks that hadn’t worked out. But thankfully for them, 2014 1st-round pick Joel Embiid has breathed new life into the team, and could be named rookie of the year for this season.
What makes Embiid so unique? Besides his amusing social media comments (check Chandler Parsons’ Instagram account) and love for Meek Mil, he’s unique in how much passion he has for the game of basketball. When he’s on the court, you can tell that there’s no place he’d rather be, and that passion leads to favorable outcomes for him and his team. This is why people insist that you should Trust the Process (going as far as chanting this catch phrase during Embiid free-throw attempts). If Embiid stays healthy, he’s someone that the 76ers can build a franchise around, and it looks like the building blocks are falling into place.
Joel Embiid is a big guy, at 7 feet and 250 pounds, and he knows how to use his size to his advantage with strong low post moves. These big man moves have helped him average over 20 points a game this season. Post moves aren’t all about what you do with the ball once you have it. What often matters most is how you get yourself open to receive the pass in the post. In the Hustle app, have a look at the Swimmer’s Stroke move to establish position. With the Swimmer’s Stroke, use your arm to come over top the defender while stepping with your inside leg in front of the defender. Embiid has the strength and coordination to effectively use this move, and it helps him get the ball in position to score in the low post.
Once he successfully receives a pass in the low post, Embiid does a great job using the correct pivot foot based on what the defender gives him. In the Hustle App, check out the Post Pivot Drill. Using the techniques in this drill, you’ll learn how to pivot either to the outside or the inside to create separation from the defender for a turn-around jumper. When Embiid creates separation in the low post, he can leverage his high release point to get a clear shot without a chance of interference from the defender.
Based on the types of shots he takes, Embiid has been able to keep his field goal percentage near 50%. But there’s a lot of work during practice to get him ready to make these moves when the game is on the line. With the Hustle app, you can learn how to do some of the moves that Embiid has mastered, leading to his break-out season that is catapulting the 76ers back into relevancy. Trust the Process!
If you’re looking for more guidance on specific drills to improve any aspect of your game, from shooting, passing and dribbling to rebounding, defending and conditioning, try out the Hustle app — it’s free!
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