The Sixers are chasing free-throw history — and using it as an offensive weapon

CHARLOTTE — The boos arrived 16 seconds into Wednesday’s game in Cleveland, when Joel Embiid muscled into the Cavaliers’ lanky Evan Mobley under the basket and drew contact. The home fans’ ire intensified on the Sixers’ next possession, when Darius Garland was whistled for reaching in and knocking Embiid’s arm before he could fire a jumper.

That resulted in four quick points from the free-throw line for the Sixers star, on a night when he finished with 36. By the end of the Sixers’ key 118-109 victory to widen the gap between his team and the fourth-place Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference standings, Embiid had gone 10-of-10 from the foul line.

Such plays are commonplace for Embiid and the Sixers, who enter Friday leading the NBA in free-throw percentage (83.6%) — well within striking distance of the 2020-21 Los Angeles Clippers’ NBA record of 83.9% — makes from the line (21.3 per game). This frequency and proficiency should be no surprise for a team anchored by Embiid and James Harden, a longtime maestro at drawing fouls while driving the lane or attempting his step-back three-pointer.

Still, free-throw efficiency is an important — and sometimes underrated — weapon for a Sixers offense that entered Friday ranked third in the NBA in efficiency (116.9 points per 100 possessions) with 14 games to go.

“You never know when you’re going to have to make them,” said Tobias Harris, who boasts the Sixers’ highest free-throw percentage at 87.6%. “A lot of games come down to those shots that are wide open at the free-throw line. More times than not, they take a lot of focus.”

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Nine Sixers rotation players entered Thursday making at least 80% of their free-throws. Embiid, the NBA’s leading scorer at 33.5 points per game and an MVP contender, tops the league in makes (10.2 per game) and connects at an 85.6% clip. Harden makes 5.8 per game while shooting 86.8%. Tyrese Maxey sinks 83.6% of his attempts, making 3.1 per game.

When asked earlier this week if his team’s free-throw prowess impacts how the Sixers attack offensively, Harris smirked and shook his head “no.” It’s an obvious asset for Embiid and Harden, two isolation-heavy players who regularly attract multiple defenders and, in teammate Georges Niang’s words, “[allow] for hands and bodies to be in the way.”

The style can draw criticism from outsiders irked by disrupted game flow. Yet for a Sixers team trying to sharpen itself as a championship contender, Maxey and coach Doc Rivers highlighted how consistent free-throw takes (and makes) help squash opponents’ runs and, more importantly, make the team dangerous down the stretch.

“You can’t foul us [on purpose],” Rivers said.

Added Maxey: “If we attack the paint [and] we get fouled, we know, for the most part, we’ll go to the free line and knock them down.”

Embiid instantly recognized when he reached the NBA that, because of his rare combination of power and skill, reliable free-throw shooting would be a crucial component of his development. It’s also another way he is breaking a big-man stereotype, by shooting 81.8% across his seven-year career.

Unlike the approach against other dominant centers such as Shaquille O’Neal — who understandably encountered the infamous “Hack-a-Shaq” from opponents because he was a career 52.7% free-throw shooter — deploying a similar strategy against Embiid would almost automatically yield two points. Embiid also has an uncanny ability to finish shots after being fouled, using his strength, balance, and athleticism to direct the ball into the basket despite contact.

During the past week, Washington Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. and Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff, without prompting, both mentioned Embiid’s foul shooting as a reason why he and the Sixers are so difficult to defend.

Embiid said he spends the first few minutes of each game feeling out how it’s going to be officiated. In a March 6 win over the Indiana Pacers, for example, Embiid got “a couple easy fouls called early on” and took it as a sign to continue attacking on his way to a 19-of-19 output from line. It was Embiid’s most free-throw makes without a miss in a game in his career.

“A big [defender] might be quick, but usually they might not be strong enough,” Embiid said. “Or, if they’re strong enough, they’re not quick enough. So just trying to take advantage of whatever they don’t have and, most of the time, they put me at the line. …

“Obviously, I’m not going to go out there and shoot 10 or 15 threes a game, like some other guys. But I also like to score three points every single time, so whenever I have an opportunity to draw the contact and also try to finish it, that’s the icing on the cake.”

Though Embiid claims he does not have a set daily free-throw regimen, several teammates still weave the seemingly mundane skill into their individual work.

Harris steps to the line when he needs a breather between more strenuous drills, and estimates he takes about 50 per day. Maxey will not leave the practice facility until making 100 shots, following a tip from personal trainer and Sixers coaching consultant Phil Beckner. As Harden wrapped his post-shootaround work Wednesday in Cleveland, he took a few shots from the line.

“I’m always incorporating those,” Harris said, “just have a good routine.”

Maxey still laments the one time in his life he said he missed crucial free throws — when, as a high-school junior, he began a Texas state semifinal game 12-for-12 from the line but missed two in the final minute of regulation of an overtime loss. In the present, Embiid can also turn animated while taking those shots, throwing his arms up in disgust when he misses or leaning to the side as if trying to will a slightly off-target attempt into the cylinder.

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That irritation can linger. Embiid’s 19-of-19 effort in Indianapolis came after going an uncharacteristic 6-of-10 at the Milwaukee Bucks and 9-of-13 at the Dallas Mavericks in his previous two games, prompting him to feel like he needed to “make up for all those misses.”

And when he overheard free throws being discussed following Wednesday’s shootaround, Embiid quipped about Giannis Antetokounmpo (who leads the NBA with 12.7 attempts per game) taking 24 (making 14) Tuesday night in a win at the Phoenix Suns.

“Apparently, I don’t know how to get to the free-throw line myself,” Embiid said as he walked off the floor.

Hours later, Embiid drew two shooting fouls in the opening 43 seconds.

“There’s a reason why it’s called free throws,” Embiid said.