Embiid frustrated with role since Butler trade
Coming off a string of three games in which he’s averaged just 13.7 points on 33.3 percent shooting, Sixers big man Joel Embiid was rested Friday night against the Pistons.
What’s behind Embiid’s mini-slump? Apparently, Embiid has not fully adjusted to playing alongside Jimmy Butler.
Here’s what Embiid told Keith Pompey of Philly.com:
“I haven’t been myself lately,” said Embiid. “I think it’s mainly because of the way I’ve been used, which is I’m being used as a spacer, I guess, a stretch five, which [is why] I’m only shooting [29] percent” from three-point range.
“But it seems like the past couple games, like with the way I play, our setup, [Brown] always has me starting on the perimeter … and it just really frustrates me. My body feels great, and it’s just I haven’t been playing well.”
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“Since the trade, it’s been really down,” he said of his success ratio. “I tend to get triple-teamed a lot. I was in the flow of the offense. I feel like I’m not any more. There’s not a lot of possessions on the block. I don’t know. We got to figure it out.”
Embiid acknowledged he and Butler are still learning how to play better together, but he’s concerned about his recent production and wants to help the team succeed.
The Sixers are 9-3 since the Butler trade, including Friday night’s 117-111 victory in which Butler erupted for 38 points.
