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Raptors hoping to be Embiid’s kryptonite once again — but they aren’t counting on it

March 30, 2023

The NBA is seeing Joel Embiid at his finest this season. It’s most likely going to find yourself with the massive Philadelphia 76ers centre successful his first MVP award, though the race is shaping up to be the closest in league historical past.

But if Embiid makes it occur, there’s a very good argument that it will be a minimum of partially as a result of the Toronto Raptors have traditionally made Embiid wrestle.

No group has seen Embiid at his worst greater than the Raptors. Ideally, they’ll be ready to coax another crummy efficiency from the Sixers star when Toronto travels to Philadelphia Fridat to open an important five-game highway journey that can decide the place Toronto lands within the play-in event.

The Sixers haven’t any worries in that regard. They are virtually actually locked into the three-place within the East, and Embiid’s brilliance is why. He leads the NBA in scoring with 33.2 factors a sport and averages 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.7 blocked pictures, all whereas recording a career-high 65.2 per cent True Shooting proportion. No participant within the league averaging 25 factors a sport or extra – and with sufficient video games performed to qualify for the scoring lead – has been as environment friendly as Embiid this season.

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The mixture of his scoring quantity, total effectivity and defensive presence are the principle cause why I’m leaning in direction of rating him first on my end-of-season NBA awards poll.

“It’s actually spectacular,” stated Raptors guard Fred VanVleet. “I’m actually a fan of consistency and persevering with to develop. He will get higher each single yr, he’s capturing the ball higher, he’s getting to the road a tonne, it’s superb, it’s been superb to watch. He’s had an unbelievable yr and I believe Philly’s fortunate to have him. We’ve acquired our work lower out and we gotta go attempt to beat him so I’m not making an attempt to simply describe all the nice qualities, I gotta attempt to see how we are able to provide you with one thing to do tomorrow in order that’s my focus proper now.”

How good is Embiid? Sometimes one of the best play to make on him is to merely quit. He’s so massive, robust, and professional at drawing contact, he required defenders to calculate whether or not to battle the battle vulnerable to shedding the warfare.

“I imply, there’s every kind of various issues [needed to defend him],” stated Raptors centre Jakob Poeltl, who will begin on Embiid Friday and hope for one of the best. “ You acquired to present your arms you bought to know when to step up. You acquired to be the second jumper. You acquired to nonetheless be shut up to him, in order that they’re not simply rhythm pictures for him.

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“[But] you bought to know when to simply, I suppose, quit on a play,” added Poeltl. “Like when he has to step on you want it’s simply two factors. Sometimes it’s not price making an attempt to make that additional play if it’s going to value you a bunch of minutes on the courtroom [in foul trouble].”

Yet Raptors followers have seen Embiid wrestle miserably as effectively – simply not lately.

The low moments? Take your choose.

Was it when the Raptors used the beefy physique of Marc Gasol and a fleet of assist defenders to restrict Embiid to simply 17.8 factors a sport and 37 per cent capturing throughout their epic seven-game, second-round sequence in 2018-19 that noticed Embiid depart the ground in tears?

Or was it the primary assembly between the 2 groups within the opening weeks of the 2019-20 season when Embiid was 0-of-11 from the ground and 0-of-3 from the free-throw line to end with no factors, 4 turnovers and 5 fouls within the worst single sport of his profession?

Or was it when he made twice as many turnovers (seven) than area targets (three) within the subsequent assembly between the 2 groups, that very same season?

Embiid is heading to the Hall-of-Fame, well being allowing, but Toronto has historically been his kryptonite. His 22.2 factors per sport profession common towards the Raptors is the bottom amongst all Eastern Conference opponents and second lowest within the league total, identical for his 43.6 per cent area aim proportion towards the Raptors. He’s turned the ball over extra towards Toronto greater than towards any group within the NBA.

Even this season – arguably Embiid’s finest – the Raptors had been a tricky out because the Sixers star shot 6-of-16 towards Toronto (though off-set that by going 2-of-3 from the three-point line and making 14-of-15 free throws.

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The Sixers finally gained the 2 group’s final assembly, 104-101 on December twenty first, but Embiid was pissed off by Toronto’s dedication to swarm and harass and annoy, led that night time by O.G. Anunoby, the highly effective Raptors wing who is robust sufficient to maintain his personal towards the skillful 300-pounder within the level, and fast sufficient to make life tough when Embiid faces the basket on the perimeter. He’ll doubtless be obtainable as assist defender Friday night time.

“It looks as if, more often than not, they don’t care about successful,” Embiid stated of the Raptors’ method again in December. “They simply need to shut down the opposite star gamers.”

But as it relates to Embiid it’s getting tougher and tougher to do. Even in December Embiid completed with 28 factors. Over his final 5 begins towards the Raptors, he’s averaging 29.2 factors a sport on 50 per cent capturing with simply 2.6 turnovers.

Embiid is getting higher. Last season – in his second playoff sequence towards Toronto – Embiid averaged 26.2 factors a sport on 52 per cent capturing. He made simply 20 turnovers within the Sixers’ 4-2 sequence win, in contrast with the 28 he made in 2019.

“We’ve thrown numerous various things at him and they’ve had an opportunity to take a look at them and alter to ‘em,” stated Raptors head coach Nick Nurse, whose aggressive schemes have so typically given Embiid matches. So clearly that makes it tougher, [the] familiarity, proper?”

But it’s additionally Embiid’s potential to adapt – not to point out that the Raptors are now not ready to roll out Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka to make his life tough.

This season Embiid is within the midst of one of the best capturing season of his profession, connecting on a career-high 58 per cent of his two-point makes an attempt. Yes, he’s capturing an absurd 80.6 per cent on the rim, but he’s additionally making 49.5 per cent of his pictures from 10-16 ft and 49.1 per cent from 16 ft to the three-point line. For comparability. Former Raptor DeMar DeRozan, acknowledged as maybe one of the best mid-range capturing within the sport, is at 50.9 per cent from 10-16 ft and 46.2 per cent on his lengthy twos.

Put merely, he’s a nightmare.

“It’s simply the duality between him being very bodily and athletic and on the identical time having actually good contact and being a really skillful participant,’ stated Poeltl, who wasn’t with the Raptors Toronto’s two earlier begins towards Embiid. “So you bought to work out a method to guard each and it’s going to take a group effort, but I believe we’re ready for it.”

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The Raptors have some historical past there: they uncovered a few of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s shortcomings within the 2019 Conference Finals. Two years later Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to the NBA title and had a Finals MVP on his resume. The Raptors gave Jayson Tatum issues within the convention semi-finals in 2020 and he’s firmly within the MVP dialog this season and the Boston Celtics are on the shortlist of championship favourites.

It’s not just like the Raptors are some type of NBA ending faculty, but they’ve proven they can take a look at one of the best and power them to adapt so as to thrive. Embiid is their biggest success, but they might not maintain a spell over him anymore.

Embiid is just too good.

“I believe the struggles make you better and he’s been part of some nice participant struggles the final couple years,” stated VanVleet. “Those guys are particular gamers, and they return and take a look at the tape and they acquired an entire summer season to attempt to eradicate weaknesses and it’s our job to attempt to exploit these weaknesses. [Embiid] has shrunk that listing rather a lot the final couple years so he doesn’t have a lot weak point in his sport.”

The Raptors will preserve wanting and hope they sort discover some on Friday night time. But with the best way Embiid’s sport has developed, there are safer bets.

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