"You take away their free throws and neither guy would be top 10 in scoring" - Ty Lue criticises Joel Embiid and James Harden's heavy reliance on free throws this season
LA Clippers coach Ty Lue took a dig at Joel Embiid and James Harden for relying on free throws to increase their scoring efficiency. Lue mentioned that the duo wouldn't be in the top ten in scoring if their free throws were taken away.
Embiid is averaging 29.8 points per game so far, attempting a league-high 11.8 free throw attempts, while Harden is averaging 22.5 points with 8.4 free throw attempts (third-highest in the league). Here's what Lue said regarding the Philadelphia 76ers All-Star duo ahead of his team's clash against them (via Joey Linn, Sports Illustrated):
“Embiid is #1 in the league in free throws and James Harden is #3. You take away their free throws and neither guy would be top-10 in scoring.”
Joel Embiid and James Harden are two of the best iso-players in the league right now. They can get creative with the way they score on all three levels, which also increases their chances of drawing fouls. The duo are quite efficient from the charity stripe, which also helps them score for fun.
Ty Lue: “Embiid is #1 in the league in free throws and James Harden is #3. You take away their free throws and neither guy would be top-10 in scoring.”
Joel Embiid and James Harden combined average more free throws per game than 18 other teams
Joel Embiid and James Harden's pairing seemed questionable as both players were used to being the focal points of their respective teams' offense. They also play in isolation the most in the league, but after registering a 9-3 record since teaming up, all that doubt regarding their chemistry has faded.
Joel Embiid and James Harden are +89 in 295 minutes together.
— 122.5 offensive rating
— 105.7 defensive rating
— 16.9 net rating
— 63.2 TS%
All 4 stats would rank 1st in the NBA. https://t.co/ploD0dUFND
Embiid and Harden have thrived playing alongside each other so far. The former has averaged 30.7 points per game, while Harden has managed 22 points and 10.2 assists per game since joining the Sixers. Together, they average a whopping 23.6 free throws per game, which is more than 18 other teams in the league since the All-Star break.
They've also made the most of their free throw opportunities, bagging a combined 20.2 points per game from the charity stripe alone. The Philadelphia 76ers will benefit a lot from this specific trait of Joel Embiid and James Harden in the playoffs when defenses start being more physical compared to the regular season.
It's not an easy proposition to score freely in playoff games, but that won't affect the Sixers much because of Embiid and Harden's ability to get calls easily.