Peruse NBA Twitter while Joel Embiid plays on any given night, and you might notice a common theme.
Some fans on the platform like to talk about how the Philadelphia 76ers superstar “baits” for free throw attempts rather than always relying on old-fashioned scoring. This criticism irked NBA analyst JJ Redick, who came to the defense of Embiid as he shot free throws during the 76ers’ play-in win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday night.
However, as Redick passionately ranted about the unfairness of the Embiid critique, his ESPN broadcast partner Doris Burke noticed a particular tick in his tangent. When pressing Redick about where he got this Embiid criticism from, he revealed he read it on NBA Twitter.
Burke quickly joked that that was Redick’s problem in the first place: He was reading too much Twitter.
"That's your problem, you're reading NBA Twitter."
Mike Breen and Doris Burke staged a mini intervention with JJ Redick on last night's NBA Play-In Tournament broadcast pic.twitter.com/SBnHeZONK4
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 18, 2024
We have fair points from both Redick and Burke here.
Drawing fouls against NBA-caliber defenders is a skill, something that is not legislated against by league rules as long there is an actual foul. It’s also just smart because you’re not always going to have a clean shot at the basket, and getting to the line can be integral for your team. Also, someone of Embiid’s listed 7-foot, 280-pound stature probably is getting fouled that much because he’s just so big and strong, and no one can reasonably defend him one-on-one. (Note: Embiid has averaged over 11 free throw attempts per game over each of the last three seasons, which comfortably leads the NBA.)
To Burke’s point, yes, Redick was probably just reading too much Twitter. That is another evergreen lesson for us. Don’t spend too much time, if any, reading other random people’s opinions on social media.
