It turns out that Nick Nurse's plan to make Joel Embiid more of a playmaker won't impact his scoring.
In 2021-22, Embiid won the first scoring title of his career with an average of 30.6 points per game. He then went back-to-back by leading the league with 33.1 points per game in 2022-23.
With about half of the 2023-24 season in the books, Embiid is once again scoring at a rate nobody else can match, this time with a career-best 36.1 points per game. He's on the cusp of joining an exclusive club. Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Wilt Chamberlain, James Harden. and Rick Barry are the only players who have ever averaged over 35 points per game for an entire season.
There are plenty of reasons why Embiid has become the most dominant scorer in the NBA, but there's one particular move of his that has become impossible to guard.
MORE: Three important stats fueling Joel Embiid's early MVP case
This move has helped Joel Embiid become the NBA's deadliest scorer
Embiid is a 7-foot battering ram with a buttery jump shot. His 3-point percentage has been up and down throughout his career, but he's become one of the most dominant midrange scorers in the game. Last season, only two players made more shots than him between the paint and perimeter. So far this season, he trails only two players.
The 76ers like to give the ball to Embiid at the free-throw line or top of the perimeter, then get out of his way so that he can face up to the basket and work his defender one-on-one. That's where his patented hang dribble — or, as Kevin Durant famously calls it, hesi pull-up jimbo — comes into play.
Here's how it works: Embiid puts the ball on the floor to start his drive, crosses over to his left hand, and cradles it so that it hangs in the air before he rises for a jump shot, like so:
Pay attention to the footwork, too. It's always a hard plant with his left foot, followed by one with his right.
The combination has a way of sending his defender's momentum toward the basket, giving Embiid the sliver of space he needs to get to his pull-up.
And when I say sliver, I mean sliver.
Check out this shot Embiid hit over Hornets big man Nick Richards, a 7-footer with a 7-4 wingspan:
Well defended, right?
Now, pay closer attention to what happens to Richards' right foot when Embiid hits him with the hard plant:
The hang dribble forces Richards to drop his right foot ever-so-slightly, giving Embiid that sliver of space he's looking for.
It doesn't help that Embiid fades backward and sweeps his right leg on his pull-up. That probably gives him another inch or two to work with because defenders have to be wary about being in his landing space.
WATCH: Follow Embiid and the 76ers all season long on Sling TV
The move is so effective because Embiid is more than just a threat to shoot.
If his defender extends their arm, Embiid will rip through it to draw a foul. He is averaging a league-high 12.2 free throw attempts per game this season while connecting on those freebies at an 88.7-percent clip. You don't want him going to the charity stripe.
Embiid's preference is to pull up — almost a third of his shot attempts this season have been off the dribble middies — but he's also more than capable of attacking the basket depending on how he's being defended.
You know how Richards dropping his right foot led to a jumper? Here's probably what would have happened had he stepped toward Embiid with his other foot, which would've put him in a better position to contest his jump shot:
Embiid is 7 feet and 280 pounds. You best believe defenders feel it when he makes contact with them.
Showing Embiid more bodies isn't the simple solution, either. In addition to being a threat to score 40 points on a nightly basis, he's averaging 5.9 assists per game this season. Not only is that a career-high, but it's also the third-highest mark among centers, trailing only Nikola Jokic and Domantas Sabonis.
If teams load up on him, Embiid now has four shooters he can kick the ball out to. He's done a much better job this season of making quicker decisions with the ball and delivering more accurate passes.
He flirts with the hang dribble here but spots Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell sagging off of De'Anthony Melton:
MORE: How Nick Nurse has turned Joel Embiid into a triple-double threat
Guarding Embiid when he gets the ball in his sweet spot has become a Nikola Jokic-like game of pick your poison. Drop back, and you risk him calmly stepping into an unblockable jumper. Press up, and you risk him bulldozing his way to the basket for hook shots, layups, or dunks. Build a wall, and you risk him setting up a teammate for a high-percentage look.
The hang dribble isn't the most complicated move, but Embiid's mastery of it makes it virtually unstoppable.
