Philadelphia 76ers: 5 goals for Joel Embiid in 2017-18
By Simon Smith
5. Cut down on turnovers and personal fouls
One area in which Embiid’s lack of experience at the NBA level came to the forefront was his turnover rate.
Having missed his first two seasons in the league due to a recurring foot injury, naturally there was going to be some rust when Embiid finally took to the court.
In his debut season, Embiid averaged 3.8 turnovers in just 25.4 minutes per game. Per 36 minutes, Embiid had the highest rate in the league among centers at 5.4, and was third among all players, just behind James Harden and Russell Westbrook.
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Over the course of the season, Embiid committed five or more turnovers in 10 of his 31 total games, including a season-high eight turnovers in a loss to the Sacramento Kings. But with the introduction this season of a couple of high-quality ball-handlers, albeit rookies, in Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz, these numbers will likely come down due to the sheer presence of these additional playmakers.
Another area of focus for Embiid this season will be cutting down his personal foul rate. Last season, Embiid averaged 3.6 fouls per game. On a per 36 minutes basis, this equated to 5.1 personal fouls, which was the eighth-highest rate among centers who averaged at least 15 minutes per game.
Over the course of the season, Embiid committed five or more fouls on 10 occasions, which included fouling out of two games.
While these are certainly areas of concern, moving forward a combination of increased experience and Embiid’s overall talent levels should ensure these things don’t become recurring issues for the Sixers.