(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
On Saturday evening, the Philadelphia 76ers were taken down by the New York Knicks in the first game of their playoff series, losing 111-104 to their Eastern Conference rivals.
During the game, Joel Embiid scored 29 points.
But when you dig into his numbers, as StatMuse did, you see a troubling trend from the reigning MVP.
During his last eight playoff games, he has gone 5-of-13 from the field, followed by 4-of-9, 9-of-19, 11-of-26, 10-of-23, 9-of-19, and 5-of-18.
Then on Saturday, he was just 8-of-22 from the field.
When his team is needing him most, Embiid is having shooting problems.
Embiid’s last 8 playoff games:
8-22 FG
5-18 FG
9-19 FG
10-23 FG
11-26 FG
9-19 FG
4-9 FG
5-13 FG
Shooting 40% from the field. pic.twitter.com/Xver4jkFZI
— StatMuse (@statmuse) April 22, 2024
It’s important to note that the big man has had some troubles in his most recent postseason.
He had injury problems last year and he is rebounding from another injury right now at the start of these playoffs.
Even though his shooting isn’t as good as it could be, Embiid is still putting up strong numbers.
His 76ers made Saturday’s game very tight and Philadelphia almost nabbed a surprising road win to start the series.
Now they will try to even the score and Embiid will be a major part of that attempt.
If the 76ers are going to win, they will have a number of things they have to do, such as limiting Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and the deep New York roster.
But they will also need Embiid to be more consistent and reliable from the field.
Every member of the 76ers will need to step up and achieve even more, including their most important player.
Will Embiid be able to break out of his tough playoff shooting slump when the series continues on Monday night?
The post Joel Embiid Has Concerning Trend In Last 8 Playoff Games appeared first on The Cold Wire.